In a ceremony held this Monday (22), 15 researchers received the Unicamp and Vladimir Herzog Institute (Pradh) Academic Recognition Award. Pradh also honored, with honorary awards, the Minister of Human Rights and Citizenship, Silvio Almeida, researcher Adriana Dias (in memoriam), indigenousist Bruno Pereira (in memoriam) and British journalist Dom Phillips (in memoriam). This was the third edition of Pradh, which aims to recognize research committed to human rights.
“[The award] annually renews a commitment, of knowledge committed to respecting life in all its dimensions, and assumes its transformative role by pursuing in the most varied ways the consolidation of a dignified life for all existing beings. This is what the 15 research studies awarded today show us”, said the coordinator of the Human Rights Observatory at Unicamp, professor Josianne Cerasoli.
President of the Pradh Evaluation Committee, professor Angela Lucas highlighted the dedication of the committee members in analyzing the 132 works registered and the diversity of topics covered in the research. “There were more than 40 evaluators from the five areas of knowledge, who carried out this work with great commitment and great attention. It is a joy to see that several subjects and themes that are dear to the area of human rights are being researched in a very mature, committed and attentive way. This will generate many fruits for our future.” Lawyer Flávio de Leão Bastos Pereira was also present from the Evaluation Committee, representing the Brazilian Bar Association - São Paulo (OAB-SP).
The presence of the delegation of 12 members from the Vladimir Herzog Institute also made it possible to hold a meeting, after the award, with representatives from DeDH. The objective was to discuss new partnerships.
Honoring the legacy of Vladimir Herzog
The director of the Executive Directorate for Human Rights (DeDH), Silvia Santiago, highlighted Vladimir Herzog's legacy in the fight for the emancipation of society and the constitution of legal citizens. “Years later, we are here to remember this mission, especially from a public teaching, research and extension institution like Unicamp, which partners with the Vladimir Herzog Institute to support and celebrate the effort that teachers, students and researchers make to fulfill this destiny and contribute to a better society.”
The rector of Unicamp, Antonio José de Almeida Meirelles, and the executive director of the Vladimir Herzog Institute, Rogério Sotilli, also highlighted the fight for democracy and the appreciation of Herzog's legacy through the award.
“For those who lived through the 1970s, the fight against the dictatorship and the military regime, it is moments like this that remind us of the significance of this in our history, of the significance of Vladimir Herzog and the institute in keeping this memory alive. It is also a source of pride for a University that was characterized by the democratic struggle to be able to share an award that keeps this history alive”, said Meirelles, who also highlighted the appreciation of knowledge developed in all areas of knowledge and at all levels of training at universities. , from undergraduate to doctorate.
“Our dream for a society founded on the values of human rights that is based on solidarity, the promotion and defense of democracy is the dream and legacy of Vladimir Herzog. So, for us, holding this award is not only a joy, but a commitment to defending Vlado's legacy, who gave his life in defense of democracy and human rights”, said Sotilli.
He also commented on the fact that Pradh was being held in person for the first time. “We hold this ceremony in the same month that the World Health Organization declared the end of the state of emergency for the coronavirus pandemic. It is the end of a tragic period and a moment in which science and human rights were essential, as never before, and at the same time as attacked, also as never before.”
Research addresses structural problems in Brazil
15 studies were included in five areas of knowledge: Exact Sciences, Engineering and Technology; Biological and Health Sciences; Human, Social and Economic Sciences; Arts, Communication and Language; and Education. The topics covered involve issues such as gender and racial violence, sustainability and inclusion.
“[These themes] are structural issues of Brazil, of its centuries-old history, such as the issue of race, slavery and indigenous people. And Brazil never worked to redeem itself and renegotiate society. Having researchers take a look helps to strengthen a more democratic and inclusive society”, observes Ivo Herzog, director of the Deliberative Council of the Vladimir Herzog Institute and son of the journalist.
He says that the area of education is considered the most strategic area of the Institute. “Having a university like Unicamp as a partner is a dream come true. The work creates channels so that we can bring this knowledge to apply in society”, he assesses.
Tributes
The honorees were researcher Adriana Dias, Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips and minister Silvio Almeida.
Dias' widower, Marcelo Higa received the award given to his wife. “The topic of human rights has always been close to his heart, even before researching hate groups,” he recalled.
Beatriz Matos, Bruno's widow, sent a video thanking the honor, as did Alessandra Sampaio, Dom's widow. “I send this video to thank you for the award and the recognition for Bruno and Dom's fight”, said Matos.
“I was very happy with this award given to Dom and Bruno. I thought it was sensational, even more so coming from a public university where there is also indigenous protagonism”, said Sampaio, for whom the honor still confirms the presence of their legacy.
Silvio Almeida sent a video explaining how structural racism works in Brazil.
The awards ceremony concluded with the presentation of slam by performing arts graduate Rafaela Gomes.
Journal of Unicamp publishes reports on award-winning research
In order to publicize the research included in III Pradh, the Journal of Unicamp is producing reports on the works published in its editions, which are published biweekly. Articles about two studies have already been published: "Risk factors for feminicides in the city of Campinas: literature review, spatial case-control study and qualitative analysis", by Monica Caicedo Roa (Faculty of Medical Sciences at Unicamp) to "Weaving voices and BOs: the resemiotization of semiotic violence against women in online social networks", by Camila Rebecca Busnardo (Institute of Language Studies at Unicamp).
Check out the list of all recipients:
Honorary Awards
Adriana Abreu Magalhães Dias He graduated in Social Sciences at Unicamp and completed his master's and doctorate in Anthropology also at Unicamp. She gained recognition in the country for her research into neo-Nazism. Dias discovered the existence of at least 334 Nazi cells in Brazil, organized in a virtual environment. He also found a letter from former president Jair Bolsonaro addressed to Nazi groups and in which he states: “You are the reason my mandate exists.” The anthropologist had osteogenesis imperfecta, a rare genetic disease, and was an activist for the rights of people with disabilities and rare diseases. She founded the Baresi Institute, a national forum bringing together people with rare diseases, disabilities and other minority groups. Dias passed away in January 2023. Throughout her career, she also coordinated the Disability and Accessibility Committee of the Brazilian Anthropological Association and was a member of the American Anthropological Association and the National Front for Women with Disabilities. In addition, he was a member of the Vida e Justiça Association to Support Victims of Covid-19, participated in hearings of the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry of the Chamber of Campinas that investigated Nazi-fascist crimes and participated in the transition team of the third government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , in 2022.
Bruno da Cunha Araújo Pereira and Dominic Mark Phillips, murdered in Vale do Javari in 2022, in posthumous tribute. Bruno, for his fight in favor of isolated indigenous people and the preservation of the environment. Dom Philips, English journalist, for his leadership in investigations into deforestation in Brazil.
Bruno da Cunha Araújo Pereira He was an indigenist and worked with indigenous peoples in the Amazon, in the Vale do Javari region. He had a career at the National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples (formerly the National Indian Foundation, Funai) and was a specialist in isolated peoples. At Funai, in 2018 he became the general coordinator of the Isolated and Newly Contacted Indians area. The following year, however, after coordinating a mega-operation to combat mining, he was dismissed by the Bolsonaro government and began working with the Union of Indigenous Peoples of Vale do Javari (Univaja). Along with the organization, he worked to guard the indigenous territory. The indigenous man was murdered in June 2022, along with Dom Phillips.
Dominic Mark Phillips, known as Dom Phillips, was a journalist and worked for newspapers such as The Washington Post, The New York Times e Financial Times. He lived in Israel, Greece and Denmark and moved to Brazil in 2007. At the time of the murder, he was working on a book about sustainable development in the Amazon. In her career, she also contributed to an investigation of the The Guardian about cattle farms and deforestation in Brazil. In Salvador, the journalist's last city of residence, Dom also taught English classes at a popular course. At the beginning of his journalistic career, he covered topics related to music. In Brazil, he reported on the preparations for the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics. After that, he essentially started covering issues linked to the environmental crisis and its impacts on indigenous and traditional populations.
Silvio Luiz de Almeida, current Minister of Human Rights and Citizenship in the Lula government, is a lawyer, philosopher and professor at Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie and Fundação Getúlio Vargas. He graduated in Law from Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie and in Philosophy from the University of São Paulo (USP). He completed a master's degree in Political and Economic Law at Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie and received a doctorate in Philosophy and General Theory of Law from USP. He was a visiting professor at Duke University (2020) and Columbia (2022). One of his most notable works is the book structural racism, in which he addresses the constitution of racism in the social structure. He presides over the Luís Gama Institute, an organization that develops actions to combat prejudice and defend the rights of black people and minorities. He also worked in the Pro-Quota Front and was one of those responsible for formulating affirmative action policies in the State of São Paulo.
Exact Sciences, Engineering and Technology
Undergraduate research: “Investigation of sustainability actions in federal public universities in the areas of water, energy and waste”, by Iara Ivana Pereira, Center for Exact Sciences and Technology (Campus São Carlos) of the Federal University of São Carlos
Master's research: “Self-supervised learning for scene recognition in images of child sexual abuse”, by Pedro Henrique Vaz Valois, Computing Institute of the State University of Campinas
Doctoral research: “Foodomics for sustainable agriculture: differentiating the volatile profile of mint and carioca beans cultivated by conventional, organic and permaculture agricultural systems, using hs-spme/gc-ms and chemometrics”, by Luan Felipe Campos Oliveira, Instituto de Chemistry at the State University of Campinas
Biological and Health Sciences
Undergraduate research: “Construction and validation of a booklet in Libras on sexual and reproductive health for deaf women”, by Juliana Maria Teobaldo Martins, Faculty of Medicine of Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista
Master's research: “Pregnancy and covid-19: does skin color matter? An analysis of the rebraco study”, by Amanda Dantas Silva, Faculty of Medical Sciences at the State University of Campinas
Doctoral research: “Risk factors for femicides in the city of Campinas: literature review, spatial case-control study and qualitative analysis”, by Monica Caicedo Roa, Faculty of Medical Sciences at the State University of Campinas
Human, Social and Economic Sciences
Undergraduate research: “A woman's place: experience and project of the Laudelina de Campos Melo house”, Helena Sá Barretto Prado Garcia, Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism at the University of São Paulo
Master's research: “Production of urban space and public community facilities for education, health and social assistance: a study of the urban dynamics of Limeira/SP”, by Noan Sallati, Faculty of Applied Sciences at the State University of Campinas
Doctoral research: “Who bleeds in the corpse factory? The massacres in São Paulo and RMSP and the massacre of the Pavilhão Nove organized fans”, by Camila de Lima Vedovello, Institute of Philosophy and Human Sciences of the State University of Campinas
Arts, Communication and Language
Undergraduate research: “Folha de S. Paulo and the 50th anniversary of the military coup: the journalistic memory of militant women”, by Caroline Cavalleiro Campos, Faculty of Architecture, Arts, Communication and Design (Bauru Campus) of Universidade Estadual Paulista
Master's research: “Weaving voices and BOs: the resemiotization of semiotic violence against women in online social networks”, by Camila Rebecca Busnardo, Institute of Language Studies at the State University of Campinas
Doctoral research: “Naming the human: migration as a discursive event”, by Giulia Mendes Gambassi, Institute of Language Studies at the State University of Campinas
Education
Undergraduate research: “Inclusive teaching of the topic of atomic models through Braille comics and manipulative materials” by João Pedro Ponciano, Faculty of Sciences (Campus Bauru) of Universidade Estadual Paulista
Master's research: “Teaching Afro-Brazilian history and culture: from the agenda of the black movement to law 10.639”, by Adriano Bueno da Silva, Faculty of Education at the State University of Campinas
Doctoral research: “Dreams of socially disadvantaged adolescents: life, school and mathematical education”, by Daniela Alves Soares, Institute of Geosciences and Exact Sciences (Rio Claro Campus) of the Universidade Estadual Paulista