Petrobras response about violent repossession of land in Itaguaí
…Human Rights are a matter of great strategic importance to us. So much so that, in December 2020, we established in our Strategic Planning 2021-2025 Sustainability Commitments related to Human Rights: The Human Rights Guidelines.
In January 2021, we created the Petrobras Human Rights Commission, which prepared a Plan with 77 actions, and the Human Rights Training Program for all our employees, in order to integrate the human rights agenda in our business.
In the more specific case that occurred in Itaguaí, it is a repossession suit filed by Petrobras against a group of people and a labor union that invaded land owned by the Company, recognized by one of the highest Courts in Brazil as illegal. It must be emphasized, however, that in order to enforce the court order mentioned in news articles, on the day of the eviction, we provided kits with alcohol gel and protective masks, offered transportation to bus stations near the city of Itaguaí, as well as a storage service and safekeeping of goods in a warehouse hired by the company itself.
In addition, on the same day, we provided mattresses and blankets, and we have been providing four meals a day (breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner) since the eviction for the families temporarily sheltered in a school made available by the City Hall…
The court decision notwithstanding, company employees have been providing support and on-site assistance to the Social Assistance Secretary of the Itaguaí Municipality in several new emergency service issues that arise all the time, such as:
- Supply of several personal hygiene items (e.g. toothpaste, pads, diapers, toilet paper and others), cleaning materials, gallons of drinkable mineral water and powdered milk for more 600 people daily;
- Inspection of the shelter's facilities;
- Installation of six chemical toilets in the temporary shelter.
…Although we have been victims of the invasion of our property, we have acted at all times in order to reinforce our commitment to respect human rights, as recommended by the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and we wait for the entities requested by the judge of the case to state the number of families that are currently in the shelter and their conditions of social vulnerability, in order to propose a solution within the reasonable limits for a company in this specific case.