- A politician in Brazil saw the country's 13-year-old athlete
Rayssa Leal win silver this week. - He then went to Twitter and suggested this shows children could work if they wanted to.
- His comments have been branded "absurd." Child labor is illegal in Brazil.
A Brazilian politician on Twitter this week suggested that 13-year-olds are old enough to work if they're old enough to win Olympic medals at the ongoing Tokyo Games.
Sostenes Cavalcante, a 46-year-old lawmaker in Rio de Janeiro for Brazil's Democrats political party on Monday proposed a revision to laws banning child labor in the country.
The statute in Brazil does not allow anybody under the age of 14 to working, but Cavalcante said 13-year-old skateboarder Rayssa Leal's silver medal shows younger people could get a job.
Brazilian teenager Leal is one of a number of young athletes competing at the Summer Olympics, and made history as the youngest medalist in the past 85 years for her routine in the street competition.
"Brazilian children aged 13 cannot work, but skater Rayssa Leal won the silver medal at the Olympics," Cavalcante said in Portuguese on Twitter.
He added: "Hey! It's for thinking. Congratulations to our Olympic medalist! And revision of the Statute of Children and Adolescents now!"
It is unclear if Cavalcante was serious, but his comment sparked wild backlash on social media.
A Brazilian diplomat, Paulo Pinheiro Jr., called Cavalcante's comment "absurd."
Pinheiro said: "What distorted view of reality is it to think that a child playing
"Do you think both girls in the photo are playing the same 'role' in society? This false symmetry is absurd!"
-Paulo Pinheiro (PSOL Carioca) (@paulopinheirorj) July 26, 2021
A Brazilian senator called Paulo Rocha also called it "absurd" saying Cavalcante was taking "advantage of the 13-year-old athlete's victory" to defend child labor.
"There is no comparison between child labor and Rayssa's medal. Children must study, play, play sports. Working means not having time for any of this."
-Paulo Rocha (@senadorpaulor) July 26, 2021
According to a report in the Estado de Minas website, there are approximately 2.5 million children between five and 17 years old who are working illegally in Brazil. Jobs include domestic work, agriculture, civil construction, and drug trafficking.