A superação do racismo e do preconceito no domínio esportivo

O esporte em geral e o futebol em particular oferecem numerosos exemplos de superação. Essa superação pode ser individual, quando um atleta suplanta as expectativas de quem costuma acompanhar os seus resultados ou, ainda, pode ser coletiva, quando elevados graus de esforço, de mobilização e de coesão conduzem uma determinada equipe a vitórias quase que inesperadas.

A superação aguardada, contudo, parece não estar próxima. Essa diz com o racismo e com os preconceitos diuturnamente identificados, registrados e pouco ou ineficazmente combatidos no âmbito esportivo. Não é novidade que são adotados critérios sensíveis à origem, à sexualidade, ao gênero, à raça e à idade das pessoas que geram tratamentos desfavoráveis e desigualizantes. Essas desigualdades estão fortemente vivas na formação, no desenvolvimento e na contratação de atletas e de gestores, na ocupação dos espaços de comando, na comunicação, nas definições de premiações, nas concessões de patrocínios e nos comportamentos do público-alvo nas arenas esportivas e nas redes sociais.

A superação do racismo, é necessário sublinhar, há muito, também é esperada em outros domínios e não apenas no esporte embora se possa afirmar que a superação nesse domínio teria uma repercussão a curto prazo talvez inimaginável para aqueles que combatem o racismo na educação, nas relações de trabalho, no sistema de justiça ou no sistema de segurança. O esporte é um domínio no qual as discriminações operam com frequência e com amplitude como em outros tantos. Todavia essas características somadas à visibilidade que essa área de atuação humana atinge permitem entender que ações antirracistas nessa seara podem produzir significativos resultados e impactos na sociedade. Importa, entretanto, evidenciar que não é bastante enfrentar o racismo, os preconceitos, as discriminações e os decorrentes vieses em apenas um espaço ou domínio, pois questões complexas, estruturais e pervasivas exigem prevenção, precaução e intervenção com alcance equivalente.

A desigualdade e a discriminação raciais podem ser constatadas sob o exclusivo olhar dos direitos humanos, mas o respectivo enfrentamento deve ser procedido em combinação com os olhares da economia, da psicologia e da neurociência. Sim, é possível aferir os custos sociais e econômicos desses fenômenos raciais, bem como os ganhos com ações antirracistas. Pode-se, também, utilizar as ciências comportamentais como instrumento de avaliação e de mudança. O certo é que apenas levantar dados é insuficiente e que políticas públicas ou privadas, tal como regramentos, devem levar em conta fatores sociológicos, psicológicos, históricos, econômicos, comunicacionais, políticos e jurídicos para saber como as pessoas sentem, agem e comprometem-se com mudanças. Hoje, mundialmente, prevalecem a ineficiência e a ineficácia, mantendo-se a cultura baseada em falsas hierarquias.

Parece não haver consenso de que a questão racial é fundamental para que haja harmonia nas relações entre pessoas e entre nações. Há confusões conceituais tais como entender que a discriminação racial está restrita à situação econômica desfavorável ou à cor da pele. Se assim fosse, talvez não houvesse casos envolvendo atletas negros bem sucedidos financeiramente, tampouco turcos, judeus e árabes. Está-se diante de problema complexo, o que acaba por exigir complexidade na busca e na solução propriamente dita.

Vivenciamos a década internacional dos afrodescendentes, que vai de 2015 a 2024, mas não nos deparamos com ações planejadas, concretas e transformadoras de natureza privada ou pública. O atingimento dos Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável, no Brasil, obrigaria a agenda política a se abrir para a questão racial assim como deveria tornar a responsabilidade social corporativa permeável à temática supracitada. Porém, esses importantes ajustes internacionais não foram exitosos na convergência de esforços para a sociedade reafirmasse valores extremamente relevantes e agisse em sintonia com eles. Aliás, inexitosa também tem sido a nossa Constituição embora repudie o racismo e o preconceito por se destinar à construção de uma sociedade democrática, justa e solidária.

Não é ousado dizer que o Observatório da discriminação racial no futebol desempenha papel essencial na desejada mudança de valores, de julgamentos, de decisões e de comportamentos que precisam ocorrer no enfrentamento ao racismo. O Observatório apoia aqueles que estão em situação de sofrimento, divulga e contabiliza atos discriminatórios, persegue a realização de apuração e a tomada de posição por parte de vítimas, de agressores e de gestores esportivos.

Perceba-se que ele não apenas observa, procurando intervir inclusive preventivamente. Nesse sentido, ganha relevo a capilaridade atingida pelo Observatório em decorrência de ter como política sempre estar disponível para pessoas, para instituições e para outros temas de direitos humanos. Assim sendo, o Observatório vai além do que fazem instituições que trazem análises qualitativas ou quantitativas das desigualdades em determinados domínios. Ele assume o encargo de, a partir de seus relatórios, promover ações, articulações e debates que possam ser capazes de levar à reflexão e à mudança no âmbito do futebol.

Jorge Terra.

Coordenador da Rede Afro-gaúcha de Profissionais do Direito

Escrito no início de 2020 para o Observatório contra a discriminação racial no futebol.

O que é reconhecimento ?

       Reconhecimento é consideração. É valorização por contribuição aduzida ou por esforço empregado em área de atuação humana tida como relevante. Nesse sentido, ao lado do desenvolvimento e da justiça, o reconhecimento foi estabelecido como um dos pilares da década internacional dos afrodescendentes instituída pela Organização das Nações Unidas.

    Ocorre que, transcorridos em torno de seis anos e meio do início dessa década, o nível de reconhecimento da contribuição social, econômica e cultural da população negra no Brasil não parece ter se elevado. Não se pode dizer que houve por parte de governos, empresas e sociedade, planejamento, ação ou esforço transformador.

    Nesse quadro, constatável é a ineficácia de ser signatário de atos internacionais, de editar disposições constitucionais e legais sem atenção à concretude e sem legítimo interesse em ser efetivo.

    Aliás, oportuno registrar que reconhecimento é um problema que aflige a população negra em outra dimensão. Sim, há numerosos casos nos quais pessoas negras inocentes são reconhecidas como autoras de crimes, impondo-se-lhes as dores da injustiça, da responsabilização por atos não cometidos e da privação de liberdade.

    Não há a ilusão de que, nos três anos e meio restantes da década, ter-se-á a efetividade não observada em pouco mais de 60% dela. Pode-se dizer que deveria ter sido instituído comitê de monitoramento pela ONU; pode-se dizer que se deveria ter instituído sistema de avaliação; pode-se dizer que a ONU não foi tão incisiva quanto deveria ter sido. O que certamente deve-se dizer é que, no Brasil, não houve vontade alguma de se promover alterações institucionais, comportamentais, educacionais, culturais, sociais, políticas e jurídicas, pois a manutenção da situação vivenciada desde o final da escravatura, ou seja, a falsa hierarquia de raças e de culturas, interessa ao grupo que quase aniquilou os indígenas e comercializou os negros por longo período.

A conclusão inarredável é que, sem reconhecimento, não há reparação, desenvolvimento e justiça.

Jorge Terra.

Slavery: What are reparations and should they be paid?

21 Aug 20 2021 August 2020 Last updated at 03:56GETTY IMAGES

On 23 August every year, people around mark the United Nations’ International Day for Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition.

The slave trade was when people were bought and sold as slaves across routes around the Atlantic Ocean.

Slavery used to be completely legal but it was abolished in the UK in 1807 – although it wasn’t until a quarter of a century later that slavery ended throughout the British Empire by the passing of a law called the Slavery Abolition Act in 1833.

This act said that freedom should be granted to slaves in most British territories the following year, although in reality slaves gained their freedom more gradually over the next few years.

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When this happened, slave owners were given money by the British government to compensate them for the loss of their slaves, which in those days were considered “property”. These payments were known as reparations.

But the former slaves didn’t get any money for all the work they had done under slave labour, their lack of freedom, or the horrible conditions they’d suffered.What are reparations?

Reparation is a word most frequently used in relation to money – given as an apology or acknowledgement that something was wrong or unfair.

The Slavery Abolition Act set out the amount of money that the UK treasury should pay to the 3,000 families that had owned slaves, which ended up being roughly £20 million.

Where else in history have reparations been paid?

After World War One: Germany and the other countries were to be made to pay for the damage suffered by Britain and France during the war. In 1922 the amount to be paid was set at £6.6 billion.

After World War Two: West Germany agreed to pay $7 billion to the newly created state of Israel where many persecuted Jews were going to live, and in total around $89 billion was paid individual survivors of the Holocaust.

2003: South Africa’s post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommended reparations for human rights abuses by the apartheid government, although only small amounts were paid.

2013: The UK government agreed to pay out £19.9 million in costs and compensation to more than 5,000 elderly Kenyans tortured by British colonial forces following the Mau Mau uprising in the 1950s.

When this happened, slave owners were given money by the British government to compensate them for the loss of their slaves, which in those days were considered “property”. These payments were known as reparations.

But the former slaves didn’t get any money for all the work they had done under slave labour, their lack of freedom, or the horrible conditions they’d suffered.What are reparations?

Reparation is a word most frequently used in relation to money – given as an apology or acknowledgement that something was wrong or unfair.

The Slavery Abolition Act set out the amount of money that the UK treasury should pay to the 3,000 families that had owned slaves, which ended up being roughly £20 million.

Where else in history have reparations been paid?

After World War One: Germany and the other countries were to be made to pay for the damage suffered by Britain and France during the war. In 1922 the amount to be paid was set at £6.6 billion.

After World War Two: West Germany agreed to pay $7 billion to the newly created state of Israel where many persecuted Jews were going to live, and in total around $89 billion was paid individual survivors of the Holocaust.

2003: South Africa’s post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommended reparations for human rights abuses by the apartheid government, although only small amounts were paid.

2013: The UK government agreed to pay out £19.9 million in costs and compensation to more than 5,000 elderly Kenyans tortured by British colonial forces following the Mau Mau uprising in the 1950s.

This was a very large sum, around 40% of the government’s budget at that time. It had to take out huge loans to be able to raise the funds, which it only finished paying off in 2015.

Nowadays it might seem very strange that people were given money to compensate them for not being allowed to own slaves – something now universally agreed to be wrong and an abuse of human rights.

But, in the past, a large part of the population, including people in very important positions, saw things differently.

For many, their biggest concern was about money and the loss in profits to their businesses after slavery came to an end.To enjoy the CBBC Newsround website at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on.https://emp.bbc.co.uk/emp/SMPj/2.40.2/iframe.htmlBlack History Month: ‘My ancestor was a slave’

There were also fears that, without compensation to win over slave owners, could have led to violence or even war between those who supported slavery and those who didn’t – something that actually happened in the United States of America.

But as the agreement to pay reparations was made almost 200 years ago, many people living in the UK today didn’t even know that slave owners had received reparations and that the debts were still being paid until 2015.

It was only in 2018 that the public became aware, after the government shared a post on social media highlighting the fact, and many people were angry to learn that that their taxes had been used to help compensate slave owners.What about reparations for former slaves?REUTERS – More than 12 million Africans were forcibly transported across the Atlantic to work as slaves. This statue commemorating the abolition of slavery stands in front of the House of Slaves museum in Dakar, Senegal, before being relocated to the “Freedom and Human Dignity” Square, on Goree island, off the coast of Senegal on July 3, 2020

There have been campaigns calling for reparations to be paid to those who suffered as result of slavery.

But as the former slaves are no longer, there is debate as to who the money would go to – their descendants, their communities or countries that slaves were originally taken from?

There are a lot of different views on the idea, as well as much disagreement about how it would work, who should pay reparations, and who should receive money.Campaigns for reparations

In 2002, campaigners called on governments of the European countries involved in the slave trade to pay off African debt.

Campaigners in the UK argued this would go some way to apologising for its part in the slave trade.

When we talk about reparations, people think that it’s about money. But it’s about making repairs, be they economic or social, to Africa and for African descendents in Europe.Esther Stanford, From the Society of Black Lawyers and member of the reparations campaign

In 2013 and 2014 several Caribbean countries called on the UK and other European countries, including France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Norway, and Sweden, to pay reparations to their governments.

At the time the UK foreign secretary, William Hague said he “did not see reparations as the answer”.

Many countries including the UK have apologised for their role in the slave trade, while others, have expressed regret that it ever happened.GETTY IMAGES William Hague was the UK Foreign Secretary from 2010 to 2014

Since then. the UK has increased investment in many Caribbean countries, helping to improve infrastructure like roads and buildings, and healthcare, but it hasn’t directly addressed the question of reparations.

Other big organisations, like the Church of England and the Bank of England, have also apologised for their historic links to slavery.

Some businesses, who received reparations payments as former slave owners, have promised to pay “large sums” to black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities to try and say sorry.

In July 2020, Lambeth Council in London became the first council to show support for slavery reparations, while each year in Brixton protestors take part in a ‘reparations march’ on Afrikan Emancipation Day.What are the arguments for and against reparations for the descendants of former slaves?GETTY IMAGES Some people held banners calling for reparations during marches on Afrikan Emancipation Day in London earlier this month

UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet has called for rich nations to make amends for “centuries of violence and discrimination” by paying reparations.

She said: “Behind today’s racial violence, systemic racism and discriminatory policing lies the failure to acknowledge and confront the legacy of the slave trade and colonialism.”

It’s also been argued that, as slavery helped the UK become a world power, some of this wealth should be given back to the descendants or countries where the slaves came from originally.

People have also said that views and attitudes from the time of slavery still have an impact on the present, holding back the descendants of slaves, and so money should be given to address this problem.GETTY IMAGES In the United States, reparations for slavery has also become a big talking point

Payments would cost governments trillions and as government money comes from taxation and it’s been argued that it is unfair and unnecessary to ask people living today to pay for something that happened long before they were born.

Others have said that giving money in the form of reparations doesn’t really address the problem of racial inequality, and that the funds that would be spent on reparations could be put to better uses.

Some people whose ancestors were slaves have also said they see the idea of reparations as insulting.

That’s because they say no amount of money can make up for the wrongs done during the period of slavery, and it reinforces the view of black people as victims.

fonte: newsround – bbc ago/2020.