Brazilian Senate Pushes Accountability for Political Negligence in Public Works Amid Acre's New Anti-Trafficking Decree
Brazil moves to enforce political accountability in public resource management while Acre strengthens its fight against trafficking and slavery through new decree and intersectoral strategies.
- • Senator Styvenson Valentim proposes bill to penalize officials for loss of public funds due to political disputes.
- • Bill introduces ‘dolo eventual’ to hold officials accountable even without proven intent to harm.
- • Senator Hamilton Mourão supports the bill, citing political obstruction of federally funded works.
- • Acre's Decree No. 11831 establishes a committee to coordinate anti-trafficking and anti-slavery strategies.
- • Acre’s initiatives include training, binational workshops, and alignment with Brazil’s national anti-trafficking plan.
Key details
The Brazilian Senate is advancing a legislative proposal aimed at holding public administrators accountable for the loss of public funds due to political disputes. Senator Styvenson Valentim (PSDB-RN) introduced bill PL 511/2023, targeting mayors and governors who let federal or international funds for public works go to waste through negligence or bad faith. The bill, which has passed the Public Security Committee and is awaiting a vote in the Constitution and Justice Committee, introduces ‘dolo eventual’ — holding officials responsible if they foresee risks of fund loss from inaction. Senator Hamilton Mourão emphasized that it's common for municipal leaders to intentionally stall projects to avoid benefiting political rivals.
Concurrently, the state of Acre issued Decree No. 11831 on February 11, 2026, bolstering its combat against human trafficking and slavery. The decree establishes the Committee for Combating Human Trafficking and Eradicating Slavery, comprising representatives from multiple state secretariats, federal agencies, and civil society. The committee coordinates intersectoral strategies in alignment with the national plan for 2024-2028. Acre officials have engaged in training public managers and security personnel with support from the International Organization for Migration, organized binational workshops focusing on migrant and refugee protection, and hosted the 1st Trinational Meeting with Peru and Bolivia to enhance cross-border collaboration.
The ongoing legislative efforts in Brasília and Acre's proactive regional initiatives illustrate Brazil's dual focus on improving governance accountability and strengthening protections against human trafficking and slave labor. As Senator Valentim's bill advances, it promises stricter consequences for political sabotage of public resources. Meanwhile, Acre's decree reflects growing intersectoral cooperation and training to better tackle complex social crimes regionally and nationally.
This article was translated and synthesized from Brazilian sources, providing English-speaking readers with local perspectives.
