UNDER PRESSURE AND SILENCE: VEILED MORAL HARASSMENT AT A PUBLIC UNIVERSITY IN THE BRAZILIAN MIDWEST

Abstract

This article investigates the repercussions of moral harassment experienced by administrative technicians in a Federal Institution of Higher Education (IFES) located in the Brazilian Midwest. The research is based on the finding that moral harassment, although widely present, often manifests itself in a veiled and silent way, making it difficult to identify and cope with. With a qualitative-quantitative approach, data were collected through a questionnaire applied to 95 employees of the institution. The results show systematic practices of humiliation, work overload, social isolation, professional discredit and attacks on dignity, seriously affecting the physical and mental health of workers. In the legal field, the analysis points to the lack of a specific federal law on the subject, although it recognizes recent normative advances, such as Decree No. 12,122/2024, which establishes the Federal Program for the Prevention and Confrontation of Harassment in public administration. It is concluded that the fight against moral harassment requires effective institutional measures, educational actions, accessible reporting channels and the commitment of leaders. The research contributes to academic debate and to the construction of healthier and more respectful work environments.