This week, a shocking case of child abuse rocked the jiu-jitsu community. A 23-year-old athlete from Amazonas took to social media on Monday to expose the abuse he suffered between the ages of 10 and 14 at the hands of his jiu-jitsu instructor, Alcenor Alves Soeiro, 56.
The criminal (yes, CRIMINAL, not “suspect”) was arrested on Saturday, accused of raping and sexually abusing his students.
The victim revealed that the instructor gave children medication to make them sleep and then committed the abuse during group trips. The rapist was detained at a jiu-jitsu championship in Balneário Camboriú while attending the event with children and teenagers.
According to the police, 12 victims have already been identified, and six others are awaiting their turn to testify. Investigations show the crimes occurred between 2011 and 2018.
What stands out in this case—apart from the crimes themselves—is that just three initial testimonies were enough to uncover many others, including allegations from athletes now renowned in the sport, such as Matheus Gabriel, Ary Farias, Meyram Maquiné, and Thalison Vitorino, who also revealed the abuses they suffered as children.
One of the victims, now a 23-year-old athlete, decided to share the trauma he endured during childhood:
“Every time I traveled to compete with him and other kids, he always bathed all of us. At night, he would give us melatonin to make us sleep well. The next day, we would wake up with our genitals sore, not knowing what had happened,” the fighter recounted in a series of Instagram stories.
“My friends and I just had dreams of becoming world champions, but we were all manipulated and had to endure it.”
According to the report, the instructor would masturbate, kiss, and perform oral sex on him:
“I was only 10 years old and didn’t know what was happening. I trembled with nervousness and, at the end of the day, cried, asking why this was happening to me.”
“He always targeted children who came from underprivileged backgrounds. He manipulated me, said he saw me as a son, and promised many things, but I was just another child being abused in secret.”
Why the Delay in Reporting?
Detective Deborah Ponce de Leão explained that victims often hide such incidents at first. The abuse caused them to feel ashamed to talk about what was happening, even to their parents.
“These boys were initially enchanted by the perpetrator because he was a renowned jiu-jitsu instructor. It was only after some time that they realized what was happening. They felt embarrassed to tell their parents, which was something our multidisciplinary team had to address.”
“Investigations suggest he sexually abused boys who later became world jiu-jitsu champions. He exploited them, offering gifts, favors, kimonos, plane tickets, and accommodations for competitions.”
According to Deborah, the sexual abuse occurred both during trips and at the instructor’s home, where he would drug the victims to commit the abuse. On some occasions, he would even bathe the victims, already teenagers, and use the opportunity to touch their private parts.
“One of the athletes began being sexually abused in 2018 when he was just nine years old. This victim, in particular, suffered anal penetration. Based on all these reports, we gathered evidence of authorship, material evidence, and requested his temporary arrest,” said Deborah during a press conference.
Investigators also discovered pornographic media involving potential victims, though the materials are confidential. Another detail revealed that the rapist had planned to flee to Dubai.
“He tried to coerce some victims, contacting them to ask for forgiveness. In one case, he even offered to send one victim in his place on the Dubai trip. The instructor also contacted the victim’s mother in an attempt to suppress the allegations,” Deborah added.
Unfortunately, This Case Is Not Isolated
In 2017, an instructor from Winnipeg, Canada, was investigated for pedophilia, child sexual abuse, and molestation of his students. Manuel Vladmir Ruiz, 52 at the time, was arrested after crimes allegedly began in 2001.
Reports from CBC revealed that the abuse took place within the martial arts academy.
Another underreported case occurred in 2022 in Pará, Brazil. Martial arts instructor Aedson Lira Pimentel was accused of raping a 10-year-old student. He was initially arrested but released shortly after, highlighting the weaknesses in Brazil’s judicial system. He was later re-arrested.
Inappropriate Conduct Often Overlooked as “A Mistake”
In 2018, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor was arrested in Naples, Florida, accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old student three times.
What was most alarming about this case was the response from prominent athlete Roberto Abreu, known as Cyborg.
Instead of exposing and denouncing his close friend’s misconduct, Cyborg downplayed the incident and failed to offer proper support to the victim.
He even allowed the accused, Marcel Gonçalves, to attend a Fight Sports academy after being detained.
Cyborg later issued an apology after public backlash: “To the victims and their families, I deeply regret my inadequate treatment of the situation and lack of leadership in dealing with this horrific experience.”
IBJJF Reacts to Public Pressure
Case of teacher arrested for sexually abusing boys generates commotion and motivates IBJJF decision
Last Tuesday, both the CBJJ and the IBJJF announced Alcenor Alves’ ban through a statement on social media, so he is prohibited from participating in events and activities promoted by both federations:
“The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Confederation (CBJJ) and the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) express deep indignation at the acts of sexual violence attributed to Jiu-Jitsu teacher Alcenor Alves Soeiro against minors, as widely reported in the press. Such crimes are unacceptable and violate the most basic ethical principles of sport.
The CBJJ and IBJJF inform that Alcenor Alves Soeiro will be permanently banned from their ranks and will no longer be able to participate in events and activities promoted by the organization. The CBJJ and IBJJF repudiate behavior that violates the integrity and safety of those who practice sport, especially when the victims are children and adolescents.
We commend the athletes who have had the courage to expose the situations of violence they have suffered, allowing other victims to feel encouraged to denounce their tormentors. The CBJJ and IBJJF clarify that all cases of abuse will be dealt with rigorously and reaffirms its commitment to ensuring safe, ethical and respectful environments in all its activities.”
Although the federations’ position on what happened is correct, the big question that remains is: Why only in this case?
For decades, women have been constantly abused and disrespected by jiu-jitsu teachers around the world, and often ignored by the federations, which don’t take a stand and ban the abusers.
A recent case in point is that of Erberth Santos, who was sentenced to more than 14 years in prison for committing the crimes of robbery and rape.
Has anyone read any statement from the federations about banning this thug? No. Because there was no such position.
Another case, which although unrelated to abuse also drew attention due to the federation’s omission, was the final of the women’s absolute black belt last year, in which Ana Carolina Vieira was finished and the signals she made to stop the fight were not seen by the referee, who only ended the fight after the athlete had been unconscious for 16 seconds.
The federation’s lack of positioning drew attention to the fact that the athlete, a five-time world champion and such a presence at the events promoted by the federation, received so little attention.
The question that remains is: to what extent is there a real concern on the part of the CBJJ and IBJJF to promote a healthy culture within the sport?
Or to what extent does it all boil down to commercial interests, given that cases involving pedophilia could tarnish the federations’ image for good? The question remains.
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