Nobody in São Paulo watches the TV channel dedicated to covering the Brazilian stateâs legislative assembly. But the cameras roll on regardless, which is why on December 16th last year they caught a sexual assault on tape.
It happened as state deputy Isa Penna was standing at the podium talking to the chamberâs president. Suddenly she felt someone invade her space from behind while putting a hand on her right breast. It was her colleague, fellow deputy Fernando Cury.
Multiple studies show such misconduct against women to be rampant in Brazilian workplaces. But what horrified feminists was that an elected representative could suffer such a blatant act of sexual harassment from a fellow deputy on the floor of a state assembly. If such a thing could happen there was any woman safe anywhere?