October 30, 2021

15:10

Priscilla Peixoto – from Cenarium

MANAUS – Aiming to offer legal assistance focused on several types of discrimination and the implications contained both in the legal field, social in the image of companies and organizations. The lawyers Ana Carolina Amaral, Laila Alencar, Luciana Santos and Rhaiza Oliveira launch “Odaras” a consultancy specialized in anti-discrimination law.

“There is this need in the state. Our Amazonas has no office or company that offers this kind of consultancy and we know it is necessary, we have constant examples in our daily life”, says Luciana stating that the initiative came from their own experiences as women, professionals, blacks, and engaged in social causes.

According to the lawyer, the pioneer service in the State attends companies, industries and public institutions advisory services and courses focused on ethno-racial and gender issues. Besides consulting, the legal quartet will also offer training to local businessmen and public bodies on how to work the racial and gender issue with their employees and clients.

“We know that in these environments there are cases of discrimination and even the concept of institutional racism, and it is based on this perception that the consultancy will help. In the future we will have courses and training on these themes”, says Luciana.

Point of reflection

In the reading of the lawyer and current president of the Commission of Rational Equality (Coir), from OAB/AM, Ana Carolina Amaral, Odaras can be considered the fruit of a concern of Amazonian women who follow similar initiatives in other states of the country.

“This has always been a point of much reflection for us. To ask why this did not exist until then here in the state. We have an industrial hub, several companies, and it is a market that is very lacking visibility and equity of these agendas of gender, race, LGBQTIA+, people with disabilities. Why hasn’t this urgent dialogue that is already happening all over Brazil arrived here?”, questions Carolina.

Fighting and inequality

The professional believes that the service, considered by them as a strength, is a tool for transformation coming from readings, studies, empirical knowledge used not only within the business universe but also resulting in good practices and alerting to the “harmful” effects of discrimination and structural and institutional racism in civil society and, especially, for the black population.

“We need to talk about it, and not just talk for talking’s sake, but take attitudes towards transforming and fighting racism effectively, because it is not enough to say we are anti-racist, we have to be anti-racist, and Odaras comes for that”, she highlights.

Impacts

According to the lawyers Rhaiza Oliveira and Laila Alencar, the promotion of debates and initiatives focused on the Anti-Discriminatory Law, either in the public or private sphere, generates the valuation and affirmation of the importance of equality, freedom and human dignity and avoids serious damages.

“The anti-racist essence in hiring, in work relations, and even in the conflicts existing in labor environments is increasingly demanded. In this sense, it is necessary to seek anti-discrimination legal guidance, since preventive work is the main weapon to avoid devastating damages to companies that resist to adapt to social evolution”, they explain.

Those who wish to have consulting services can contact us by e-mail [email protected] or through the social network Instagram.