Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, with the restriction of access to face participation in the National Congress and with government agencies, social groups mobilized in other ways to pressure institutions. In research carried out and published here in this repository, we examined the use of digital media as a pressure mechanism against the federal legislature, through online petitions for the approval of laws, as in the case of emergency aid, and to encourage the legislature to act, as in requests for postponement of ENEM.

Although both the Chamber of Deputies and the Federal Senate have spaces for popular manifestation on the internet - such as the E-Citizenship and Legislative Participation pages of the Chamber of Deputies , in addition to ombudsmen and e-mail lists for parliamentarians - the restriction of circulation and voting only remotely resulted in the reduction of space for public debate. This is revealed in the fact that more than 4 million demonstrations were made in online petitions directed to parliament. Here we bring some, published on petition sites like Avaaz, Change.org and Public Petition for you to know. To learn more, check out our research report.

In this online petition , citizen Eduardo Ferreira Silva mobilized this action for caregiver assistance due to the observed need to take care of his 88-year-old mother with several health problems.

Both due to age and disability and delicate health condition of the elderly and/or people with disabilities - receiving a low pension, with advanced age and various health complications - came the increased need in the pandemic of approval of Bill 3022/20 that creates caregiver assistance. This would have the value of a minimum wage for the elderly and/or disabled person who needs third parties to carry out the activities, ensuring financial resources for hiring these professionals and seeking to mitigate the effects of the care crisis experienced with the increase in the average age of the population and the advancement of neoliberal economic policies.

The petition mobilized more than 160,000 supporters and the bill that has not yet been voted on in the House has more than 900 supporters, or just 0.61% of the petition's supporters.

Access the petition here.

With the arrival of 2021 and the beginning of vaccination, the debate was resumed for the end of emergency aid. However, the pandemic took on even more critical contours and hunger advanced in the country. Faced with the serious crisis that was presented, 270 non-governmental organizations created this online petition to pressure the National Congress to extend or approve a new law to guarantee emergency aid of R$ 600.00 until the end of the pandemic.

In 2020, the aid managed to guarantee not only the food on the plate of millions of Brazilians, but also millions of lives, allowing people to stay safe at home. 

According to the group, pressure was essential to guarantee aid in 2020 and now it's time to unite again to ensure conditions for the most vulnerable Brazilian families to face the coronavirus in 2021!

The petition had more than 86,000 signatures and can be considered partially successful as the aid was approved despite the reduced amount. in Congress , MP 1037/2021; PL 2419/2020; PL 3426/2020 and 49 legislative ideas from citizens that together add up to 82,528 supporters in Congress. Support on the official channel represents 94.95% of those registered in the online petition.

As the pandemic advanced in Brazil, reaching almost 3,000 deaths a day, the risks involving pregnant and postpartum women became more noticeable. Evidence shows that this group is at increased risk of developing complications, needing ICU and mechanical ventilation, as well as dying compared to non-pregnant people. In 2020, Brazil was appointed as the country with the highest number of maternal deaths from Covid-19.  

It was based on these points that the citizen Melania Amorim from Campina Grande in Paraíba created this petition that asked for the modification of Technical Note 1/2021 of DAPES/SAS/MS, to include pregnant and postpartum women in the priority groups for vaccines, not just those with comorbidities.

The petition asked for intervention, including so that the note could be amended by bills that are being processed in Congress, such as projects PL 4174/2020, PL 936/2021 and PL 1405/2021. However, the Ministry of Health itself revised the regulations and included the group among priorities for vaccination. The petition was successful, having been signed by more than 57,000 people.

Access the petition here .

This petition aimed to raise awareness and claim the rights granted by the Federal Constitution of 1988 provided for in Art. 196, Section 2, which supports health as a right for all and a duty of the State, guaranteed through social and economic policies aimed at reducing the risk of disease and other diseases and at universal and equal access to actions and services for its promotion, protection and recovery.

The petition came after the government published Decree No. 10,530 of October 26, 2020 , which allowed studies of alternative partnerships with the private sector for primary health care, which was seen by society and professionals in the sector as an opening for the privatization of the Unified Health System – SUS.

The petition had more than 95,000 signatures and the decree was revoked after great pressure from society and parliamentarians . The hashtag used in the #DefendaoSUS campaign was among the most commented on several social networks in the country for a few days.

Access the petition here

In 2020, in the debates of the 2021 budget, the issue of the lack of budget resources to expand the SUS – Sistema Único de Saúde (Single Health System) arose. In this context, the National Health Council proposed this petition , since, with the end of the emergency budget, Constitutional Amendment 95/2016, which froze investments in health and other social areas until 2036, would once again be in force.

According to data presented by the National Health Council in the petition, the loss of resources from the Unified Health System (SUS) exceeds the value that the Ministry of Health had in 2020, exceeding R$35 billion calculated in August 2020, when the public petition it was launched. The budget reduction is against the 1988 Constitution, the CNS resolutions and recommendations, the SUS bottom-up planning process (Complementary Law 141/2012) and Law 8,142/90, which defines community participation in SUS management. It is the weakening of the Constitution's welfare and social protection pact.

Without health there is no economy. The petition has more than 597,000 signatures. PEC 439 of 2018 is in progress which intends to revoke the constitutional amendment in question and four legislative ideas of citizens that together add up to 77,908 support in Congress. That is, the support on the official channel represents 13.04% of those registered in the online petition.

Meet the petition .