The "Work without Harassment" app was officially launched this Wednesday, December 10th, which is International Human Rights Day. A result of a collaborative effort between Unicamp, the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), the International Labour Organization (ILO), and with support from the Labor Public Prosecutor's Office (MPT), the app was developed to expedite and facilitate the reporting of moral and sexual harassment in the workplace.
“The app project emerged in 2019, based on the experience of a website we had with Margarida Barreto [a pioneer in studies on harassment, who died at age 78 in 2022], which had 8 million hits and received 44 letters,” said Professor and researcher José Roberto Heloani from Unicamp, who coordinated the cooperation agreement for the University. “I had the privilege of working with, living with, and having Margarida Barreto as a great friend,” he emphasized.
“The Public Prosecutor's Office for Labor and the ILO asked us to develop the app, aimed at workers who have no voice, to combat various forms of discrimination based on gender, ideology, and religion. It's a completely free app, aimed at all Brazilian workers, including public servants. It's especially special that we are launching it precisely on the date that celebrates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, established on December 10, 1948,” he added.
The ceremony, held at the Faculty of Education (FE), was attended by the Attorney General for Labor, Gláucio Araújo de Oliveira, who highlighted the partnership with universities. “We don't do anything alone; the Labor Prosecutor's Office has a specific coordinating body that deals with moral and sexual harassment, sensitive issues in Brazilian society, with the mission of serving society at all levels and reaching the most vulnerable populations. And I'm already thinking ahead to electoral harassment,” he commented.
The national coordinator, Danielle Olivares Corrêa, from the Coordination for the Promotion of Equal Opportunities and Elimination of Discrimination in the Workplace (Coordigualdade), highlighted that discriminatory conduct is structurally ingrained in Brazil, as are abusive business management practices. “The app is an important, comprehensive project that will help workers identify situations of moral, sexual, and organizational harassment, facilitate reporting, and inform them of the appropriate places and channels to use,” she stated. According to Corrêa, between 2020 and 2024, the National Council of Justice received 458 lawsuits involving workplace harassment. “The demand is only increasing, and this growth is occurring because the population is more aware,” she added.
The Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Labor Public Prosecutor's Office of the 15th Region, Nei Messias Vieira, based in Campinas and serving the interior of São Paulo state, highlighted the importance of the application. “Since January, in the 15th region, 2.360 reports of incidents involving some type of harassment or discrimination have already been filed. These numbers reflect the urgency of addressing the issue in a Brazil marked by structural violence,” he commented.
The prosecutor from the Labor Public Ministry (MPT), Valdirene Silva de Assis, one of the authors of the book. Violence, Discrimination and Harassment at WorkHe highlighted the important moment when the app reaches the public. "Much progress has been made to reach this point of cooperation and the launch of the application."
Representing the FE (Faculty of Education) administration, Guilherme Toledo Prado highlighted that the application brought together a qualified group. The Pro-Rector of Postgraduate Studies, Cláudia Morelli, representing the Rectorate, emphasized the excellence of the work developed. “For those in management, it is very good to see the products developed by the University, together with other public sectors, that can provide advancements for our population.”
Availability
Initially, the "Work without harassment" app is only available for Android devices. Ricardo Dahab, executive director of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) at Unicamp, highlighted the project's development. "We appreciate the trust placed in us to safeguard, maintain, and develop the application at the University."
Daniel Catarino Biscalchin, ICT coordinator at FE, demonstrated how to download the app and presented its functionalities. “The application is free and available for download on the Play Store; it's currently available for Android, but will soon be available for iOS as well. The app is hosted in the Unicamp cloud,” he explained.
On the first screen, the app provides context for the topic, and as you advance, there's a menu with information about privacy and options to choose from, including subjects, themes, and situations. "At times, boxes appear with information about laws and links to other content, for example," Biscalchin added.
Read more:
Unicamp and MPT develop app and website to combat violence and harassment at work
Watch the launch:
