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Humberto Martins / State of Minas
posted on 10/24/2020 10:13 PM
(credit: Playback / GLobo TV)
For the first time after the resignation of the actor and director Marcius Melhem from Rede Globo, in August, after accusations of sexual harassment, the alleged victims of the actor spoke. Through attorney Mayra Cotta, employees revealed that Melhem acted ‘violently’, used his hierarchical power to embarrass them, and at times even locked women in rooms to harass them.
In an interview with Folha de S. Paulo, Mayra affirmed that the victims denounced the actor before the station’s compliance sector, which instituted an internal procedure to investigate the cases.
However, they were not satisfied with the result of the process and decided to organize to expose “everything that happened and all the seriousness of the behavior that Marcius Melhem had while he was boss” and “so that the carpet was not simply swept”, says the lawyer .
She reveals that according to her clients, Melhem acted aggressively repeatedly. “There was a recurrent behavior, of locking women in spaces and trying to grab them, against their will. Insisting and continuing to send messages even of sexual content to women so that they could decide whether or not they were going to fire them to work, whether or not there would be a scene for them [nos programas de humor]. Endanger the careers of the women who rejected him. Being obsessed, even chasing. It was a systematic and insistent coercion, very recurrent ”.
Mayra Cotta said the director took advantage of work situations to try to grab and kiss the victims forcibly, pressing them against the wall.
According to her, Melhem completely broke the line between flirting and harassment, as she insisted on her behavior even after hearing “women saying no, I don’t want, let me go, I won’t kiss, I won’t be with you. And he tries, he grabs ”.
The lawyer represents six victims of sexual harassment, others of moral harassment and six witnesses, in addition to a support group made up of approximately 30 people. Victims and witnesses preferred to keep their identities confidential.
Marcius Melhem fights back
After the article was published, Marcius Melhem used Twitter to defend himself. In a long series of posts on the social network, the actor said he was willing to acknowledge and, if possible, repair his mistakes.
“On the history of Folha: How to write a note to comment on accusations of this gravity? Guilty and innocent people say the same thing. I’m innocent. I’ll prove it in court. ‘ So anything you say may sound fake right from the start. But I need to speak and eventually show my sincerity in what I’m going to say here. I am willing to acknowledge my mistakes, apologize and, if possible, make amends to people I have hurt in some way. I want to face this truthfully and humanely and expose myself if necessary. Living up to all those years in which agendas like feminism have been embraced by the transformative humor I believe in. He was part of a group of men and women who pride themselves on using humor as an instrument against prejudice. But even professionally embracing the feminist cause, I still struggle against machismo within myself, mistake, I can have relationships that hurt. I try to improve and learn. And I really wanted to talk about it. But in the face of such serious accusations that I have never committed, what can I do? Deny.”
Through the social network, Melhem asked that the truth be determined and that he leave Globo through the main door after a rigorous investigation by the station.
“I make available all my communications that I have on file, with anyone who has worked or related to me over the years. And I ask you to listen to the people who worked with me, who followed many situations closely and who can speak a lot about everything. I ask you please find out the truth and do not support lies. A few months ago I had to leave the country to receive important medical treatment for my daughter and I couldn’t believe it when this trip began to be advertised as a getaway. Anyone who knows me, who has lived with me knows that it is impossible for me to practice violence, especially against women. I could never force someone to make a wall. To this day, I have kept silent because the accusations have not come out here. In compliance with the Globo network everything was rigorously investigated and investigated. I walked out the front door of the station where I worked for 17 years. I know that in this case, even more so in the moment we live, of so much hatred, I will be guilty until I prove otherwise. So I want everything to be clear, to expose my innocence and my mistakes. I want to be able to apologize and take responsibility. I go in search of the truth ”.
Also this Saturday, Marcelo Adnet, Melhem’s partner in Rede Globo comedians, expressed his solidarity with the victims.
“On Mônica Bergamo’s article in Folha de São Paulo: all my support and solidarity with the victims,” the comedian said on Twitter.
