Meet Alexandre Anderson \u2013 a water defender from Brazil<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\nFor Alexandre Anderson de Souza and other artisanal fishers, Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is a source of livelihood, identity and culture.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nBut pollution from multiple sources, including the oil and gas industry, industrial waste and untreated sewage has turned the bay into a sacrifice zone. Artisanal fishers face contaminated water, declining fish stocks, eroded mangrove, shrinking fishing areas and increasingly dangerous routes, while polluters profit without paying for the environmental degradation they cause.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nAlexandre co-founded Associa\u00e7\u00e3o Homens e Mulheres do Mar (Association of Men and Women of the Sea \u2013 AHOMAR), a network of artisanal fishers that has spent nearly two decades defending the bay and their traditional way of life from the impacts of oil and gas infrastructure.<\/em><\/strong> Several environmental human rights defenders (EHRDs) told Amnesty International that they feared for their safety, some facing intimidation and harassment.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nAmong them, Alexandre has been repeatedly threatened and has survived several attempts on his life. Here, he shares his story<\/em><\/strong>:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\nMy name is Alexandre Anderson. I am 54 years old; I am a fisherman and I have been living and working in Guanabara Bay since 1997.<\/p>\n
Artisanal fishing is not just a means of subsistence. It is our culture, a way of life.<\/p>\n
In the 1990s, we felt that something was already changing in Guanabara Bay. Our elders say that when the first refinery started to work, the bay suffered a lot. There was a lot of oil around because it was next to two rivers and these rivers were used to illegally discharge sewage.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not the oldest fisherman in the region, but the elders say that fish used to be abundant here, and they disappeared. It wasn\u2019t a natural phenomenon, it was a phenomenon of man\u2019s influence, an industrial phenomenon. Oil is not synonymous with wealth, it\u2019s not synonymous with growth, it\u2019s synonymous with destruction.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one warned us\u201d<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\nI remember that I used to sail, on a rudimentary boat\u2026 always built by us. With the disappearance of fish, we had to go further into the sea, and I had to buy an engine for the boat. The fish kept moving away, because the shore was increasingly polluted.<\/p>\n
The fishermen were then forced to leave the region or change profession.\u00a0 Some say that this is environmental racism. Some say that this is a \u2018sacrifice zone\u2019. There has been no public communication\u2026 no consultation in our community. No one warned us. When we came to know about the industry, the infrastructure was already being built in the middle of the sea, or in the middle of a beach. (With growing industry presence) there was violence, physical violence, even personal violence against some leaders. Unfortunately, at dawn on 18 January 2000, there was a big (oil) leak in the water<\/a> caused by an oil pipeline. This whole area was contaminated, and we were pushed away from artisanal fishing. We were pushed to leave everything that we understand \u2013 cultural, religious, traditional \u2013 and even leaving the place where we were raised, where we were born.<\/p>\n\u201cWe are successful in what we do because we work with the truth\u201d<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\nWe revolted against everything that was happening and started to look for actions we could take. In 2003 we started to search for answers as a group, and we founded the Associa\u00e7\u00e3o Homens e Mulheres do Mar (Association of Men and Women of the Sea \u2013 AHOMAR<\/em>).<\/p>\nSoon after in 2009, through our monitoring efforts, we were able to remove two oil sites which were illegally occupying our space and contaminating our region. We are successful in what we do because we work with the truth and we do not work alone. We\u2019re supported by many well-known organizations, such as Amnesty International and observers have even accompanied us to these sites.<\/p>\n
For Alexandre Anderson de Souza and other artisanal fishers, Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is a source of livelihood, identity and culture.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n But pollution from multiple sources, including the oil and gas industry, industrial waste and untreated sewage has turned the bay into a sacrifice zone. Artisanal fishers face contaminated water, declining fish stocks, eroded mangrove, shrinking fishing areas and increasingly dangerous routes, while polluters profit without paying for the environmental degradation they cause.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Alexandre co-founded Associa\u00e7\u00e3o Homens e Mulheres do Mar (Association of Men and Women of the Sea \u2013 AHOMAR), a network of artisanal fishers that has spent nearly two decades defending the bay and their traditional way of life from the impacts of oil and gas infrastructure.<\/em><\/strong> Several environmental human rights defenders (EHRDs) told Amnesty International that they feared for their safety, some facing intimidation and harassment.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Among them, Alexandre has been repeatedly threatened and has survived several attempts on his life. Here, he shares his story<\/em><\/strong>:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n My name is Alexandre Anderson. I am 54 years old; I am a fisherman and I have been living and working in Guanabara Bay since 1997.<\/p>\n Artisanal fishing is not just a means of subsistence. It is our culture, a way of life.<\/p>\n In the 1990s, we felt that something was already changing in Guanabara Bay. Our elders say that when the first refinery started to work, the bay suffered a lot. There was a lot of oil around because it was next to two rivers and these rivers were used to illegally discharge sewage.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not the oldest fisherman in the region, but the elders say that fish used to be abundant here, and they disappeared. It wasn\u2019t a natural phenomenon, it was a phenomenon of man\u2019s influence, an industrial phenomenon. Oil is not synonymous with wealth, it\u2019s not synonymous with growth, it\u2019s synonymous with destruction.<\/p>\n I remember that I used to sail, on a rudimentary boat\u2026 always built by us. With the disappearance of fish, we had to go further into the sea, and I had to buy an engine for the boat. The fish kept moving away, because the shore was increasingly polluted.<\/p>\n The fishermen were then forced to leave the region or change profession.\u00a0 Some say that this is environmental racism. Some say that this is a \u2018sacrifice zone\u2019. There has been no public communication\u2026 no consultation in our community. No one warned us. When we came to know about the industry, the infrastructure was already being built in the middle of the sea, or in the middle of a beach. (With growing industry presence) there was violence, physical violence, even personal violence against some leaders. Unfortunately, at dawn on 18 January 2000, there was a big (oil) leak in the water<\/a> caused by an oil pipeline. This whole area was contaminated, and we were pushed away from artisanal fishing. We were pushed to leave everything that we understand \u2013 cultural, religious, traditional \u2013 and even leaving the place where we were raised, where we were born.<\/p>\n We revolted against everything that was happening and started to look for actions we could take. In 2003 we started to search for answers as a group, and we founded the Associa\u00e7\u00e3o Homens e Mulheres do Mar (Association of Men and Women of the Sea \u2013 AHOMAR<\/em>).<\/p>\n Soon after in 2009, through our monitoring efforts, we were able to remove two oil sites which were illegally occupying our space and contaminating our region. We are successful in what we do because we work with the truth and we do not work alone. We\u2019re supported by many well-known organizations, such as Amnesty International and observers have even accompanied us to these sites.<\/p>\n\u201cNo one warned us\u201d<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n
\u201cWe are successful in what we do because we work with the truth\u201d<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Vishal](\"https:\/\/www.amnesty.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Copy-of-Perspective-Vishal-Prasad-CC-1-819x1024.jpg\")
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