Who is Ricardo Germano Efing? Professor fired after telling students to 'relax and enjoy' rape if 'unavoidable'
A professor at a university in southern Brazil has been fired after he was reported by an anoynymous female student over his remarks on rape. Ricardo Germano Efing told his students that if "rape is unavoidable and imminent," then to "relax and enjoy it." The comments came during an online science class.
Ricardo Germano Efing was teaching at the Centro Universitario Vale do Iguacu, located in Rio D'Areia, in Porto Uniao in Brazil. During an online class, he was speaking to his students, when he said, "It's something, my friend, that you have to adapt to," according to The Sun. He then said, "Sorry, girls, I know what I'm going to say is crass, but as the saying goes: if rape is unavoidable and imminent, relax and enjoy it."
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Efing was then reported anonymously by a female student who attended the online class and was horrified by his remarks.
Efing then said that he made the statement while giving an example about cases in which companies need to fire people who are unable to adapt to new processes and new technologies. He has also described the clip as a "small de-contextualized fragment of the class."
However, he admitted that the "popular expression" he used "after due reflection, proved to be entirely inappropriate." He also said in his statement about the incident that he expressed his "full respect for all women, never intending to offend or attack them."
One week after the incident occurred, Centro Universitario Vale do Iguacu announced they had fired Efing after an internal investigation, according to the outlet. Efing was also fired by another institution, the Centro Universitario Campo Real, from his teaching role the folllowing day. Both higher education institutes have issued statements affirming that they do not tolerate disrespect towards women.
According to another local publication, the university issued a statement saying that due to the statements made in the online class that had been circulating on social media, the university first issued an apology to the class and decided to take the administrative decision to dismiss Efing from his teaching position The university also said that it values integral respect, empathy, and promotion of the defense of women, and does not tolerate, nor condone an conduct that disregards these principles in their teaching environments.
The publication also reported that Efing deleted all his social networking accounts, including his LinkedIn profile, as well as his profile on Lattes, an online platform for academics. The outlet also reported that Efing is appointed as a member of the ethics board of the Brazilian Association of Physiotherapy Traumato Ortopedica (Abrafito). He was also the coordinator of the physiotherapy course at the Centro Universitario Campo Real, and is specialized in Traumatofunctional Orthopedics. The outlet also states that Efing is a specialist in pneumofunctional physiotherapy.
