Bolsonaro apologizes after insinuating that Venezuelan refugees were prostitutes

President Brazilian, Jair Bolsonaroapologized this Tuesday for insinuating that some young Venezuelan refugees in Brasilia had turned to prostitution, but affirmed that his words were “distorted” by the opposition.

LOOK: Scandal in Brazil for Bolsonaro’s comments on Venezuelan minors; They accuse him of “depraved” and “pedophile”

“If those words that, in bad faith, were taken out of context, were somehow misunderstood and caused some embarrassment to our Venezuelan sisters, I apologize,” Bolsonaro said in a video released Tuesday, during his campaign for the second round of elections. the elections.

Last day 2, Bolsonaro, who aspires to re-election, had 43.2% of the votes in the first round, compared to 48.4% achieved by former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, candidate of a progressive front and against who will be measured again on October 30.

Last weekend, the president created a huge stir by declaring in an interview that, during a motorcycle ride through the outskirts of Brasilia, he had seen some very “groomed” Venezuelan girls on a corner.

He narrated that “he painted a climate”, an expression that in Brazil defines a possible sexual interest, that he approached and asked to enter the house of the young women, who according to him were between 14 and 15 years old.

“I wonder. Some pretty girls, 14 or 15 years old, dressed up on a Saturday. What for?: Earn a living, “said Bolsonaro, who for these statements was even accused of” pederasty “by Lula’s campaign, due to his alleged interest in young girls.

The Migration and Human Rights Institute (IMDH), one of the entities that assists Venezuelans arriving in Brazil, repudiated these statements in a note and assured that in the community cited by Bolsonaro “there are no signs of child prostitution.”

“These types of statements stigmatize the Venezuelan population in Brazil and contribute to the construction of false stereotypes about migrants,” the statement said.

He added that the young women, in fact, that day were participating in hairdressing and makeup courses offered to Venezuelans in order to help them find jobs.

In the video in which he apologized, the president appeared with his wife, Michelle Bolsonaro, and the Venezuelan María Teresa Belandría, ambassador appointed to Brazil by Juan Guaidó, recognized by the Brazilian government as the “legitimate president” of Venezuela.

According to the president, the statement that caused the controversy was only aimed at underlining his “concern” to “avoid any type of exploitation of vulnerable women” and was “taken out of context” by “leftist militants” who seek to obtain “political advantages in this electoral moment.

Source: Elcomercio

Ronald Payne

I, Ronald Payne, am a journalist and author who dedicated his life to telling the stories that need to be said. I have over 7 years of experience as a reporter and editor, covering everything from politics to business to crime.