Last week, a video of gospel artist Aymeê Rocha singing about the woes of Marajó Island, in Pará, went viral. In it, Aymeê talks about pedophilia, child sexual exploitation, and even organ trafficking in the region. The video sparked debates regarding the region, which is marked by poverty and violence but is also a target of fake news. One example was when Senator Damares Alves claimed, in 2022, that children in the region had their teeth pulled out to facilitate oral sex and ate soft foods to be subjected to anal sex — allegations that were never proven.
This time, after Aymeê's video dominated social media, influencers launched campaigns to raise money. At the same time, organizations urged caution in spreading information. The Marajó Observatory released a statement asserting that the population does not normalize violence against children. "Those who want to propagate and dishonor the Marajoara people insist on this narrative," says the organization, focused on monitoring public policies. Marajó is an archipelago that encompasses 16 municipalities, which suffer from lack of infrastructure and difficulty of access.
Reports of sexual exploitation of children and adolescents are not new. Since 2006, Bishop José Luís Azcona has reported these crimes committed in the archipelago. In 2009, a Folha report showed that girls were prostituting themselves for the same price as a hot dog. Last week, the Public Prosecutor's Office of Pará informed that the most common crime is statutory rape, which occurs in greater numbers in other municipalities outside the Marajó archipelago, and that there are no reports of crimes related to organ trafficking. Paula Camacho, prosecutor of Portel and Breves (cities located in the archipelago), says that the region suffers from problems related to sexual crimes. "Yes, it happens, but we experience, combat, and we are not among the worst rankings," she says.