UN Expert Mechanism's Visit to Brazil
The International Independent Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in the Context of Law Enforcement (EMLER) will visit Brazil from November 27 – December 8, 2023. During the mission, the Expert Mechanism will travel to different cities around the country to meet with national stakeholders, including government officials, law enforcement authorities, civil society organisations, United Nations representatives, academics, lawyers, survivors of police violence and families of victims.
MORE DETAILS COMING SOON
To get involved (Brazilian organizations only), contact Emerson Caetano at jrsilvaecaetano@gmail.com or Nayara Khaly at n.silvasanfo@ishr.ch
CALL FOR INPUTS FOR THE BRAZIL VISIT
The call for inputs for the visit is currently open and it closes on 29 September 2023.
The Expert Mechanism seeks to understand Brazil’s efforts in combatting structural and institutional racism, the excessive use of force, and other human rights violations by law enforcement against Africans and people of African descent, in the spirit of cooperation and dialogue.
During the visit, the Expert Mechanism will study:
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Systemic racism as a root cause of excessive use of force and other human rights violations by law enforcement against Africans and people of African descent.
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Access to justice, accountability, and redress for excessive use of force and other human rights violations by law enforcement officials against Africans and people of African descent.
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Alignment of domestic laws, policies, and practices on the use of force by law enforcement officials and in the criminal justice system with international human rights norms and standards.
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Good practices and lessons learned related to laws, policies and practices on racial justice and equality in the context of law enforcement and the justice system.
Objectives of the Visit
International Independent Experts Mechanism
International Independent Experts Mechanism
EMLER is a United Nations mechanism created in 2021 by the Human Rights Council to specifically focus on the “promotion and protection of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Africans and of people of African descent against excessive use of force and other human rights violations by law enforcement officers through transformative change for racial justice and equality.”
Meet our U.S. Visit Team
Emerson Caetano
Emerson Caetano is the coordinator of the EMLER visit to Brazil, he has relevant experience helping civil society organizations advocating in the International Human Rights System. He worked for the UN Human Rights Office as a focal point for racial themes in South America, assisting the regional hearing of EMLER in Santiago, Chile.
Emerson Caetano is an international analyst working within the United Nations to strengthen anti-racist narratives worldwide, he holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from Rio de Janeiro State University. Emerson is a dynamic professional with a proven ability to deliver projects focused on minority issues. During the pandemic, Emerson has produced several articles about race and human rights, with titles such as The Marginalization of Non-White Refugees in Brazil, and Funk as a Humanitarian Tool in Rio’s Favelas. He also has articles published by Estadão and Folha de São Paulo, two important Brazilian press venues.
Emerson Caetano has been working for the Brazilian Civil Society since 2013, he participated in several international leadership training for young people working with social impact. He is a Senior Fellow for the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent, a Fellow of the Columbia Global Thought Committee, and a former Grantee of the Open Society Latin America Program. Emerson Caetano worked on programmatic missions for the Canadian Consulate in Brazil, the Fundación Ciudadanía Inteligente in Chile, and ActionAid Brazil.
Nayara Khaly
Nayara Khaly is joining the UN Antiracism Coalition as its Fellow in 2023 from São Paulo, Brasil. She is an International Relations Master’s degree student at the Federal University of ABC (UFABC) and holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from São Paulo State University (UNESP).
Nayara is engaged in Migration Rights academic research and social justice activism through the intersectionalities of gender and race in South America. Previously, she worked with NGOs focused on children and adolescents’ education and as an Afro-Brazilian culture teacher. She has extensive experience working as a parliamentary advisor for the state legislator Erica Malunguinho at the Legislative Assembly of São Paulo, focusing on the development of race, gender, and sexuality policies.
Lamar Bailey
Coalition Coordinator for the UN Antiracism Coalition (UNARC). Afropanamanian activist and educator. She graduated from the Baruch College (City University of New York) and is currently pursuing a Master program in development and cooperation in the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, in Spain. Additionally, she graduated from the Centro de Estudios Afrolatinoamericanos (ALARI) from the Hutchins Center in Harvard University.
In Panama, she was a member of the Afropanamanian Youth Network and is currently a member of Voices of Afrodescendant Women in Panama (VOMAP) and the Afropanamanian Forum. She participated in a weekly radio show to promote the full inclusion of afropanamanians into the national Panamanian narrative of national identity by highlighting the achievements of the afropanamnian youth. She has worked as a teacher for 5 years in Panama City, teaching History and Human Geography with a focus on Human Rights utilizing the Multiple Intelligences Methodology and an inclusive teaching approach. Lamar is one of the co-directors of the documentary Miss Panama, a short documentary about her mother who was the first black Miss Panama, discussing topics of racism, imperialism, national identity and the importance of community.
While living in Valencia, Spain, she participated in the creation of the organization Uhuru, which is a grassroot collective fighting against anti-black racism and creating a community of Black, African, Afrodescendant and Afroeuropean people of all ages and origins. Additionally, she is part of the Implementation Team for the Decade of People of African Descent in Spain 2015-2024.
Salimah Hankins
Director for the UN Antiracism Coalition (UNARC) where she supports the engagement of organizations around the world, who are working on United Nations accountability for systemic racism and police violence against Africans and people of African Descent. Salimah is also an attorney and former community organizer with over 15 years of experience in the area of civil and human rights. Before this, she served as the Executive Director of the US Human Rights Network (USHRN), a non-governmental organization that facilitates the access of grassroots groups to the United Nations and other international human rights bodies.
In 2020, Salimah led the creation of a virtual healing and story-telling event with the families of Black people killed by police in the United States including Michael Brown, Sandra Bland, Amaud Arbery, and others. Also, in 2020, under Salimah’s leadership, USHRN worked with civil society to bring the case of George Floyd’s killing to the United Nations which was a precursor to the creation of a brand new UN mechanism, the Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in Law Enforcement (EMLER)
Salimah has produced seven annual human rights reports for USHRN and her writing has been featured in a number of publications including International Journal of Human Rights Education, Poverty & Race, and Social Text (Duke University Press). She began her legal career as an associate at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Maryland, advocating for the rights of low-income communities of color living in Baltimore’s public housing. More recently, she served as Senior Staff Attorney for Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto, CA, where she worked with community groups to secure an affordable housing fund worth $75 million as the result of a settlement with Facebook. Her work was featured in The Guardian,Financial Times, and a number of other publications. In 2022, Salimah was invited to speak at the UNESCO Global Forum Against Racism and Discrimination in Mexico City.
Salimah received her undergraduate degree from Northeastern University where she studied International Law and Comparative Politics, and her law degree from Suffolk University Law School, both located in Boston, Massachusetts. She has served as a human rights fellow at the Urban Justice Center, and was selected for the Whitney M. Young fellowship at Columbia University. She is a licensed member of the (legal) bar in California, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C. and has been a certified professional coach and RYT 200 yoga teacher for BIPOC activists. Originally from New Orleans, Salimah is also a singer/songwriter who will release her debut album in 2023.
