Harassment and stalking incidents in Brazil and Portugal

Authorities in Brazil and Portugal continue to investigate various incidents of harassment and stalking.

In Brazil, recent reports highlight several cases of sexual harassment and stalking. In Bahia, a 53-year-old Italian tourist, identified as Massimiliano Panichi, was arrested in flagrante in Morro de São Paulo for alleged racial discrimination and sexual harassment against singer Renata Nascimento. The incident occurred on August 5 while Nascimento was performing at a restaurant. The victim reported that the man asked, “What is your value?” in a sexual context and used racial slurs, calling her “slave” to provoke a reaction. Nascimento recorded parts of the interaction on her phone.

The Civil Police of Bahia processed the suspect for racial injury and sexual harassment. Following a custody hearing, a judge converted his arrest into preventive detention, noting that his conduct showed “deep contempt for social coexistence norms and human dignity.” The suspect was reportedly already serving a semi-open sentence for drug trafficking in Salvador at the time of the incident.

In Piauí, a waitress in Barra Grande reported being spat upon and threatened by a tourist. In Paraná, a man was arrested in Jandaia do Sul for allegedly using a vehicle to sexually harass women at night, while police in Ortigueira arrested a man for the sexual abuse of an 11-year-old girl. Previous investigations in Brazil included the detention of a man in Três Lagoas for stalking a supermarket worker for a year, and a man in Limeira for harassing a cleaning worker at a bus terminal.

In Portugal, police are investigating an allegation of sexual harassment involving a 43-year-old man and a 16-year-old girl at a cinema in Viseu.