Lúcia Xavier, an advisor to the ELAS Social Investment Fund and coordinator of Criola, is on the triple list for the position of ombudsman of the Public Defender's Office of the State of Rio de Janeiro, which will be elected on November 11. Lúcia forms the triple list of candidates with Pedro Daniel Strozenberg and Nathalia Carlos da Silva.
The three names were chosen in a vote by representatives of civil society on October 9. The list will be forwarded to the institution's Board of Governors to choose the person who will occupy the position, who will have a two-year mandate and may be reappointed for an equal period. On October 30, the Board of Governors will meet to choose the winner.
Lúcia has a long history as a militant in the struggle for human rights, for the health of black women and against racism. She stresses the importance of the feminist and black movements occupying this space: "As an organization we decided to run for this space with the aim of broadening the conditions for women's struggle, because today the conservative process and the violation of women's rights is very strong."
The General Ombudsman's Office of the Public Defender's Office of the State of Rio de Janeiro aims to contribute to the improvement and enhancement of the standards and efficiency mechanisms of the services and activities developed by the Public Defender's Office, in addition to strengthening citizenship, and is responsible for receiving compliments, complaints or suggestions about the services and activities developed by the Public Defender's Office, its members and civil servants.
"This is a very important space in the field of justice so that we can guarantee our rights and expand the process of democratization of the justice system. The ombudsman's office is a space for communication, for dialogue between society and the justice system, it's an instrument for defending citizenship," says Lúcia.
Among the proposals for her candidacy, Lúcia mentions the promotion of women's rights, especially those of indigenous, black and gypsy women; the creation of mechanisms to confront institutional racism in public services and the monitoring of the implementation of the Maria da Penha Law and the confrontation of violence and femicide against women in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Find out more about their proposals on the Public Defender's website.