Respect and encouragement of diversity
Established in October 2018 at FGV Rio Law, the Diversity and Inclusion Program (PD&I) is an initiative aimed at strengthening debates and institutional actions with the goal of promoting diversity both within and beyond the FGV community. The program aligns with the efforts of globally recognized universities and business groups to implement programs that enhance diversity within the institution and in society at large. With this goal in mind, the Diversity & Inclusion Program organizes targeted actions for both its internal audience - students, faculty, and staff - and external to the institution, including lectures and open events, courses, and workshops focused on combating discrimination; this seeks to actively transform FGV Rio Law into a space that promotes diversity and inclusion, combating prejudice and intolerance.
Coordenation
yasmin.mendonca@fgv.br
Professor at FGV Law School in Rio, where she coordinates the Diversity and Inclusion Program and is a researcher at its Center for Technology and Society (CTS-FGV), focusing on Human Rights, Technology, Platform Regulation, Gender, and Digital Democracy since 2019. She holds a PhD in Sociology from IESP-UERJ (2023), receiving a CAPES scholarship and a nomination to the FAPERJ Nota 10 scholarship for academic performance. She earned her Master's degree in Social Sciences from PUC-Rio (2017), also with a CAPES scholarship. She has a BA in Law and a BA in Social Sciences from the Getulio Vargas Foundation, including a period of academic exchange at Université Sorbonne Paris-IV. Currently, she coordinates the "Digital Media and Conflict Prevention" project (2023-2025), funded by the European Union, at FGV Law School in Rio. Previously, she worked with the NGO Stop Street Harassment in Brazil and at the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL). She is part of NETSAL/IESP-UERJ. Her professional and academic experience spans international law, digital law, gender studies, and digital sociology. She is an attorney registered with OAB-RJ and the vice-president of its Commission for Freedom of Expression in the Digital World.
Researchers
Lorena Abbas
lorena.abbas@fgv.br
Ph.D. candidate in Public Policies, Strategies, and Development at the Institute of Economics, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (PPED/IE/UFRJ). Holds a master's and bachelor's degree in Law from the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF/MG). Researcher at the Diversity & Inclusion Program (PD&I) at the Law School of Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV Law Rio), working on the "Media and Democracy" project (2023-25), supported by the European Union. Within the scope of PD&I, she engages in academic activities related to the intersection of technology and human rights.
Giullia Thomaz
giullia.thomaz@fgv.br
Master's student in Sociology & Anthropology at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (IFCS-UFRJ) and a bachelor in International Relations from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (IRI/PUC-Rio). Assistant researcher in the Diversity & Inclusion Program at the Law School of Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV Law Rio) and the Center for Technology and Society (CTS-FGV) of the same institution. She supervises the Digital Safety program, a study group on gender and race-based political violence on social media. She assists in research related to conflict, gender, and content moderation on the internet. She is a member of the "Media and Democracy" project, a partnership between CTS-FGV through PD&I with the School of Communication of FGV (ECMI) and support from the European Union.
Idalie Brossard
Idalie.Brossard@fgv.br
Undergraduate student in Social Sciences at Fundação Getulio Vargas-RJ (CPDOC/FGV). She is an intern at the Diversity & Inclusion Program at the Law School of Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV Law Rio). She has worked at Fondation Good Planet (Paris, France) with a scholarship from the French government and as an intern in several NGOs, including Gastromotiva (Rio de Janeiro) and the School of Integral Sustainability (Salvador, Bahia). She has professional experience in the fields of environmental mediation and its challenges, sustainability, ecology, and solidarity. She has been involved in creating workshops and awareness materials, as well as in fundraising and translation.
Diversity Committee
The Diversity Committee of FGV Rio Law was founded on November 1, 2018, adding to the expertise of the Diversity and Inclusion Program to formulate proper institutional policies aiming at the promotion of diversity and inclusion within the FGV Rio Law. The Committee is the D&I Program advisory board, constituted of representatives from its faculty, its administrative staff, and external consultants, with a mandate of 2 (two) years, extendable twice upon the decision of the Dean. It is responsible for the counseling and recommendations regarding the adoption of policies by the Program, to boost equality, solidarity, diversity, and respect for human rights.
According to the Internal Resolution Ad Referendum No. 24 of 2023, the Committee includes:
I. Prof. Yasmin Curzi – Coordinator;
II. Prof. Silvana Batini (renewal) - Faculty Representative;
III. Prof. Gabriela Borges – Faculty Representative;
IV. Mr. Emanuel Paraíso – Technical-Administrative Staff Representative;
V. Ms. Andréa Pachá (renewal) – External Member;
VI. Ms. Marcia Rangel Candido – External Member.
Ethics Hotline
The Ethics Hotline is part of FGV's Integrity Program, complying with governmental regulations that established anti-corruption guidelines in Brazil (Law 12.846/13 and Decree 8.420/15), and international guidelines, in addition to internal directives that led to the development of FGV's Internal Controls and Compliance System.
Here you’ll find and access our key initiatives to foster D&I among undergraduate and postgraduate students, faculty members and administrative staff. In addition, you can explore our main research projects.
Mais Plural
Diversity Talent Pool
An initiative of the Diversity Program, Mais Plural is a registry of professionals aimed at building and providing a talent bank to foster and facilitate institutional diversity at FGV Rio Law. The profiles registered in Mais Plural are available for selecting individuals for our faculty, collaborators, and service providers, as well as for inviting experts interested in participating in events, lectures, conferences, and other academic activities at FGV Rio Law. We encourage the registration of women, BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ people, people with disabilities, and any other political minorities.
Esperança Garcia Scholarship
Launched in 2022, the Esperança Garcia Scholarship is aimed at black men and women and covers tuition fees for the 5-year Undergraduate program at FGV Rio Law.
PPAD
Affirmative Policies and Diversity Program
The Diversity and Inclusion Program (PD&I), in partnership with the Graduate Program in Law and Regulation (PPGD) at FGV Rio Law, launched the Affirmative Policies and Diversity Program (PPAD) in the second semester of 2023. This program offers a free training course for BIPOC, trans and non-binary people, and people with disabilities. It provides lectures with the main curriculum subjects from the PPGD.
Mentorship-Diversity
The "Mentorship-Diversity" program originated as a section of the existing Mentorship Program at FGV Rio Law, in partnership with the Diversity & Inclusion Program. By providing support to interested scholarship students and/or those from socially marginalized groups, starting from the first semester, the partnership aims at providing more diverse and inclusive guidance to the students. Within this partnership, interested students can have meetings with the PD&I coordinator, Yasmin Curzi, in addition to those offered by the Mentorship Program. Additionally, the Diversity & Inclusion Program will assist in curating the mentor database linked to the Mentorship Program, actively inviting profiles representative of Brazilian diversity and contacting figures of interest for lectures and interaction with the students. We believe this approach will enhance these students' connection with potential future prospects.
Digital Safety
In partnership with the Center for Technology and Society (CTS-FGV), the Diversity and Inclusion Program (PD&I) launched the research group titled "Digital Safety: Hate Speech, Ableism, Political Violence in Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Online Spaces". Coordinated by Professor Yasmin Curzi and supervised by the RA Giullia Thomaz, the group brings together students interested in best practices for creating and preserving more democratic and inclusive virtual environments.
Food Scholarship Program
In partnership with the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) Committee of Tauil & Chequer Advogados associated with Mayer Brown, FGV Rio Law, through its Diversity and Inclusion Program, announces the food scholarship program. In its first edition, this program will benefit 23 Black students enrolled in the School. The subsidy is provided to students through a partnership between the law firm and the FGV restaurant. The benefit is available to students who receive a full scholarship from FGV Rio Law and are in their first to third semester of the course.
In this section, you will find details on all courses and extension projects led by the Diversity & Inclusion Program (D&I), along with information about our research projects and their associated publications.
Disciplines
Field Projects
Recent publications
Previous publications
Current research
The Media and Democracy project is an initiative of the Fundação Getulio Vargas’ School of Communication, Media and Information (FGV ECMI) with the European Union to help strengthen Brazilian democracy, the integrity of digital spaces and the quality of online information. The partnership also includes the fact-checking platform Lupa; Democracy Reporting International (DRI), a German public debate analysis center; and the FGV Rio de Janeiro Law School’s Diversity and Inclusion Program and Center for Technology and Society.
The Media and Democracy initiative has three main areas of work:
- monitoring and analysis of digital media
- fact-checking
- and the creation of a council, involving researchers, civil society, representatives of the public authorities and digital platforms
In partnership with the Center for Technology and Society (CTS-FGV), the Diversity and Inclusion Program (PD&I) launched the research group titled "Digital Safety: Hate Speech, Ableism, Political Violence in Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Online Spaces". Coordinated by Professor Yasmin Curzi and supervised by the RA Giullia Thomaz, the group brings together students interested in best practices for creating and preserving more democratic and inclusive virtual environments. The discussions, which began in September of this year, involve a careful selection of texts on topics such as hate speech, gender misinformation, political violence against women, racialized individuals, and people of diverse sexualities, among other subjects relevant to maintaining democracy in the online environment. The discussions are currently progressing towards the development of a guidebook for preventing hate speech and gender and racial discrimination in the digital space, set to be released in December 2023.
Past research
From 2020 to 2022, the research project titled "Estudos sobre a incorporação do Marco Legal da Primeira Infância em decisões judiciais. Uma análise macrossistêmica dos dados jurídicos de decisões judiciais e avaliação do comportamento judicial" was conducted. The research is dedicated to analyzing whether and how the Legal Framework is used in judicial decisions and, consequently, how it impacts the lives of children and their families, especially women who are the mothers responsible for gestation and serving as primary caregivers. The first stage of the research, developed in partnership with the Center for Technology and Society at FGV Law Rio (CTS/FGV) in 2020, was funded by CNPq; from 2021, when it became linked to the Diversity and Inclusion Program, it has been funded by RPCAP.
Through its involvement in the activities of the FGV Centre of Excellence on EU-South America Global Governance, the Diversity Program collaborated with research aimed at assessing the applicability of human rights mechanisms to protect individuals discriminated against based on gender. The research adopted a critical perspective on the role of law in shaping gender relations, particularly with regard to transgender individuals. Throughout the project's implementation years, our former coordinator, Prof. Ligia Fabris, was part of the project's research team and the teaching staff. They sought to reflect on how gender relations influenced any specific approach to international human rights courts, with a focus on the Inter-American and European Courts of Human Rights. Theoretical questions were illustrated through discussions on concrete cases, in addition to the analysis of law and empirical research jurisprudence.
Project funded by the Zentrum für interdisziplinäre Forschung (ZiF) of the University of Bielefeld (Germany)
Through the work of Prof. Ligia Fabris, the Diversity Program was part of the Global Contestations of Women’s and Gender Rights research group at the Interdisciplinary Research Center (ZiF) of the University of Bielefeld. The project, conducted from 2020 to 2021, focused on contemporary offensives against women’s rights in a global context. The group’s research object was the transformation of the notion and semantics of rights into a shared ‘language of contestation’ in three empirical arenas in which the contestation of gender equality is particularly manifest: the gendered division of labour; the instrumentalization of religion; and gendered citizenship regimes and sexual rights. Such partnerships contribute to the formation of global intellectual knowledge and networks engaged in cutting-edge research on gender and women’s rights.
O Observatório de Gênero na Política tem por objetivo acompanhar e sistematizar as leis, projetos de leis, prestações de contas de partidos políticos e outras ações do poder político que articulam o conceito de “gênero”. A partir de microdados disponibilizados pelo Congresso, o Tribunal Superior Eleitoral e o Supremo Tribunal Federal, está sendo construída uma base de dados, para observar os modos como o conceito de gênero tem sido mobilizado e utilizado na regulação das práticas políticas. O interesse é subsidiar uma avaliação do impacto e da eficácia de algumas políticas (como a utilização de 30% do Fundo Partidário para candidaturas femininas) e de outros usos do conceito de gênero.
Research in partnership with Humboldt University Berlin and USP
The project, occurring from 2021 to 2023, is funded by DFG and its Brazilian equivalent, CAPES. It brings together a total of 26 researchers – among them, Prof. Ligia Fabris – from 16 institutions in Germany and Brazil. In it, it is possible to map contemporary varieties of constitutionalism and evaluate challenges and alternatives to liberal constitutionalism in Germany, Brazil, and the respective regional contexts. The project intervenes in global debates in the field of comparative constitutional law and contributes a legal perspective to broader discussions about the challenges of liberalism. One of the lines within the research is the project “Representation deficits in the democratic systems in terms of gender, race and social status” in partnership with Humboldt Universität zu Berlin. This research is part of the Workstream axis on varieties of democratic constitutionalism, coordinated by Prof. Dr. Phillip Dann.
Extension
Elaboration of a bill to combat Gender-Based Political Violence
The aim of combating gender-based political violence is to ensure that all citizens, regardless of gender, can exercise their political rights without fear of violence or intimidation. This requires the establishment of effective mechanisms to identify, prevent, and sanction acts of gender-based violence in politics, and the development of public policies to eradicate such violence.
By studying the specialized literature on the subject and analyzing legislative experiences in Latin America, the team involved in the project, conducted under the guidance of Prof. Ligia Fabris in collaboration with Prof. Silvana Batini, gained valuable insights that helped in the construction of the bill to combat gender-based political violence. Some of the laws studied were the Laws of Uruguay (Ley 18.476/2009 and Proyecto de Ley Integral para Garantir a Mujeres una Vida Libre de Violencia basada Género/2016), Bolivia (Ley 243/2012), and Mexico (Ley General en Materia de Delitos Electorales).
The proposed bill, based on the work and collaboration of the student body and strengthened by a technical team with the help of several specialized entities, aims to (i) eliminate individual and/or collective acts, behaviors, and manifestations of gender political violence that directly or indirectly affect the exercise of political and/or public functions of individuals; (ii) ensure the exercise of political rights; and (iii) develop and implement public policies to eradicate all forms of gender-based violence in politics.
The Diversity Program proposed the Field Project “Systematizing the Rights of Candidates” in 2020, which resulted in the creation of the first edition of the Women in Politics Booklet. The booklet aims to provide women interested in running for electoral office with all the necessary information to assert their rights and present a competitive candidacy. Its content was developed by a group of FGV Rio Law students and reviewed by Prof. Ligia Fabris, with supervision by Gabriela de Brito Caruso. Additionally, Regional Electoral Prosecutor in Rio de Janeiro, Prof. Silvana Batini, participated in reviewing the material.
In 2023, the second edition of the material was published, which was the result of the Political Training Course for Women. This initiative was proposed by the Diversity Program, with support from the Center for Studies on Contemporary Inequalities and Gender Relations (NUDERG/UERJ) and the Fluminense Forum More Women in Politics, and received funding from the U.S. Consulate in Rio de Janeiro.
Staying true to its original objective, the booklet has been updated to further establish the rights, duties, and precautions that candidates should take. The content covers a range of topics, from the party affiliation process to accountability, with particular emphasis on laws related to women’s rights in politics and the issue of gender-based political violence.
The new edition of the booklet includes an important addition, which is the explanation of Gender-Based Political Violence. Therefore, it presents the differences between political violence and gender political violence in an instructive way. It provides a list of behaviors that are considered as gender-based political violence and explains the legal ways for women to make complaints and fight for their rights in an objective manner.
The material was revised and updated by Ana Silva Rosa and Giovanna Monteiro, with oversight by Prof. Ligia Fabris, review by Vitória Gonzalez, and support from Gabriela de Brito Caruso.
Access the booklet (in portuguese)
O Fórum Fluminense Mais Mulheres na Política é um espaço diverso e pluripartidário criado para acompanhar a participação das mulheres nas eleições. Seus objetivos são estimular a participação democrática das mulheres candidatas e militantes nas decisões dos partidos políticos sobre o uso do financiamento público de campanha, bem como acompanhar as estratégias para garantir que, no mínimo, 30% dos recursos do Fundo Especial de Campanha Eleitoral sejam distribuídos para as candidaturas femininas. O fórum nasceu em 2018 na Fundação Getúlio Vargas no Rio de Janeiro, por iniciativa da Prof.ª Ligia Fabris, e reúne pesquisadoras feministas, advogadas e representantes da sociedade civil (ONGs). Por meio de reuniões e workshops, dialogamos com advogadas, pré-candidatas aos cargos eleitorais, coordenadoras de campanhas e membros das secretarias executivas de mulheres de diferentes partidos políticos, divulgando e tecendo estratégias para ampliar o acesso das mulheres à política.
Em 2017, na clínica sobre financiamento de campanhas de mulheres da FGV Direito Rio – em parceria com organizações não governamentais que têm por objetivo avançar nas pautas pelos direitos das mulheres e no fim da desigualdade de gênero –, desenhamos argumentos a serem apresentados perante o Supremo Tribunal Federal no bojo da Ação Direta de Inconstitucionalidade (ADI) nº 5617. A ADI, deflagrada pela Procuradoria-Geral da República, tinha por objeto a impugnação de dispositivo da Lei 13.165/2015 (Minirreforma Eleitoral de 2015) cujo objetivo era regular o financiamento de candidatas mulheres em desacordo com os avanços conquistados, institucionalizando a desigualdade de gênero em matéria de representação política no Brasil. A Clínica, representando a CEPIA – Cidadania, Estudo, Pesquisa, Informação e Ação –, atuou como amicus curiae, tendo a Prof.ª Ligia Fabris feito sustentação oral perante o STF. Por maioria de votos, o STF decidiu que a distribuição de recursos do Fundo Partidário para o financiamento das campanhas eleitorais das candidaturas de mulheres deve ser feita na exata proporção do número de candidaturas de ambos os sexos, observado o patamar mínimo de 30% de candidatas previsto no artigo 10, parágrafo 3º, da Lei 9.504/1997.
The “Leia Mulheres” (Read Women, in English) campaign was promoted on FGV Rio Law’s social media networks. Professors were invited to suggest notable books written by women, both in the technical and literary fields. The goal of the campaign was to showcase important works by women, encouraging students, faculty and staff to recognize and engage with women’s intellectual contributions, which are often overlooked in reading lists.
Here you will find some of the key questions regarding the role and operations of the Diversity & Inclusion Program (D&I), along with guidance for addressing any incidents.
The FGV Rio Law Code of Ethics and Integrity defines violations of academic integrity as 'copying, plagiarism, simulation, solicitation, harm to the material or immaterial property of the School, and disregard for the physical or moral integrity of members of the academic community, regardless of the means employed for the violation.
If you wish to report an incident related to the behaviors mentioned, you can reach out to the Ethics and Integrity Committee at direitorio.comissao.etica@fgv.br. The Diversity & Inclusion Program is available to help with any questions.
You can use the ethics hotline to report behaviors that breach the guidelines, principles, and standards set out in the Code of Ethics and Conduct or FGV’s Anti-Corruption Policy. Every report will be thoroughly investigated, and those with a substantiated basis will be examined by the Ethics Committee with strict confidentiality.
Learn more
Additional Diversity and Inclusion initiatives can be found on the FGV Diversity Committee website.