The role and activities of national institutional mechanisms in promoting and protecting minority rights 2012, para. 63
Paragraph
Paragraph text
The Government of Brazil has established institutional attention to Afro-Brazilians in recognition of discrimination and the disproportionate socioeconomic disadvantage of Afro-descendants, including through its ministry dedicated to promoting policies for racial equality, the Secretaria de Políticas de Promoção da Igualdade Racial (SEPPIR). A statute of racial equality (law 12.288), adopted in 2009, reinforces State obligations to guarantee equal opportunities to Afro-Brazilians. Affirmative action projects combat structural inequalities, in particular in respect of access to education, health and employment.