Government of Pará participates in the drafting of bills that strengthen quilombola rights and expand affirmative actions

The Government of Pará participates, through the State Secretariat for Racial Equality and Human Rights (Seirdh), in the construction of two bills (PLs), together with the Legislative Assembly of Pará (Alepa). The proposals were submitted to the legislative house on the 19th of this month and address the creation of the State Policy for Quilombola Communities and the establishment of quotas for blacks, browns, indigenous people, and quilombolas in state public competitions.

The technical team of Seirdh developed the State Policy for Quilombola Communities, which organizes principles, guidelines, and actions aimed at the recognition, territorial protection, cultural preservation, and comprehensive promotion of quilombola rights in the Pará territory.

The text articulates frameworks such as the Statute of Racial Equality and the Statute of Racial Equity of Pará, strengthening the institutionalization of policies aimed at traditional populations.
The Director of Human Rights at Seirdh, Gabriela Brito Ferreira, one of those responsible for the final drafting of the bill (PL), highlights the historical nature of the initiative.

“Participating in the drafting of the bill that establishes the State Policy for Quilombola Communities is having the opportunity to transform into law what the communities have fought to have recognized for decades: the right to exist with dignity, territory, and voice. This text is born from listening, data, and memory, and reaffirms that quilombo is not an appendix of public policy, but a central subject in building a fairer Pará,” she emphasizes.

Reservation of spots in public competitions

Seirdh also collaborated on the bill that establishes quotas for blacks, browns, indigenous people, and quilombolas in public competitions and simplified selection processes. The proposal reinforces the set of affirmative actions already conducted by the government and was built in dialogue with black, indigenous, and quilombola movements, ensuring compatibility with the demographic and social reality of the State.

The Deputy Secretary of Seirdh, Márcio Nascimento, highlighted the structural impact of the measure. “By sending to Alepa the bills that address the quota policy for blacks, browns, indigenous people, and quilombolas, as well as the State Policy for Quilombola Communities, the State Government significantly advances in affirmative action policies, especially for the black and quilombola population, demonstrating its respect for human rights reflected in the commitment to the inclusion of historically marginalized and invisibilized social and ethnic-racial groups,” he states.

Protection, representativeness, and access in structuring policies

Seirdh emphasizes that the proposals also strengthen the agenda for the protection of human rights defenders, coordinated by the secretariat. For the coordinator of Protection Programs, Acacio Bastos, structuring policies have a direct role in reducing risks faced by traditional leaders.

“Protection programs deal daily with reports of violence, discrimination, and attacks on quilombola and indigenous leaders. Seeing these Bills moving forward for legislative analysis means knowing that the dimension of protection also involves ensuring structuring policies, such as quotas and the specific policy for quilombola communities, which reduce vulnerabilities and expand the presence of these groups in institutions,” he stated.

Both proposals reinforce the State's commitment to consolidating permanent racial equality policies, reaffirming the role of Seirdh in building legal instruments that guarantee dignity, representativeness, and social justice.

Text: Ascom/Seirdh