BJJ Girls Mag, a communication and information portal specialized in women’s jiu-jitsu, has investigated accounts involving Brazilian instructor André Marques Pereira Ramos, publicly known as André “Careca,” describing a pattern of inappropriate physical contact with adolescents and children, in incidents that allegedly occurred in Brazil over nearly two decades. After the events described in the accounts, the instructor moved to Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, where he is currently affiliated with Palm Sports, an institution that runs training programs for the local military selection (Army Team) and instructs police officers. Palm Sports was formally contacted by this portal and did not present any institutional response by press time. The instructor himself, contacted in parallel, submitted a personal substantive statement to the portal, reproduced in full in this article.
In accordance with the editorial protocol of this portal of communication and information specialized in women’s jiu-jitsu, the identity of the source and of all other parties referenced, as well as any data that would allow cross-identification, are fully preserved, in compliance with Brazilian Statute of the Child and Adolescent (Law 8,069/1990, articles 17, 18, and 143), Brazilian Law 13,431/2017 on the specialized testimony of children and adolescents who are victims or witnesses of violence, and the Brazilian General Data Protection Law (Law 13,709/2018, LGPD).
Historical account received through the portal’s reporting channel
The BJJ Girls Mag’s reporting channel received, in May 2026, a first-person account from a woman who is now an adult in her twenties, describing an episode of inappropriate physical contact she alleges was committed against her by instructor André Marques Pereira Ramos when she was a child, in events that occurred in Rio de Janeiro approximately twenty years ago.
According to the account verified by the portal, the source was transported by the instructor, then a family acquaintance, during a car ride, on which occasion the instructor allegedly placed her on his lap in the driver’s seat under the playful pretext of teaching her to drive. He then allegedly initiated inappropriate physical contact with the child, interrupted when he saw another adult family member on the street. The child was then quickly moved back to the passenger seat.
Still according to the account verified by the portal, the source remained silent during childhood and, after growing up and talking with another child within the same family circle, identified a similar pattern of conduct attributed to the same instructor regarding that second minor, in a different context. When the source allegedly reported the facts to her mother, the mother allegedly asked that the father not be informed, due to the daily coexistence of the entire family network with the subject and out of fear of an eventual violent reaction. The combined elements describe a scenario of structural silencing, frequently associated, in the scientific literature on sexual violence against children, with the proximity of the accused agent to the victim’s family network.
Recent material gathered by the portal
In parallel, the editorial investigation by this portal obtained material regarding a recent episode that occurred in December 2025, involving conversations and message exchanges attributed to the same instructor with an underage student. In the material verified, the instructor allegedly explicitly asked the adolescent to lie and to delete the messages. Still according to the narrative verified by the portal, the source allegedly expressed concern with the possibility that the instructor would “go to jail” because of the content of the exchanges. All material was directly examined by the editorial staff, within the editorial protocol of source protection and protection of the identity of the minor involved, which remains fully preserved.
A pattern observed over nearly two decades
The two accounts described above, the historical one and the recent material, were corroborated by other sources interviewed during this portal’s editorial investigation, across different time periods, always under the source protection regime and full anonymization of the people involved. Sources describe a similar pattern of inappropriate physical contact attributed to the instructor toward girls and adolescents, in different contexts within Brazilian territory, spanning approximately twenty years.
Current institutional affiliation in Abu Dhabi
According to public information and the editorial investigation conducted by this portal, after the events described in Brazilian territory, instructor André Marques Pereira Ramos became part of the institutional structure of Palm Sports in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Palm Sports is a sports institution headquartered in the Emirati capital and maintains in its programs technical jiu-jitsu instruction for the local military selection (Army Team), as well as for groups of police officers. The continued activity of the instructor in an institutional environment with direct access to students raises the public interest of the reporting now published.
On the location of a police report
The editorial investigation by this portal did not locate, in public records, a formal police report corresponding to the events described. This public unavailability is compatible with cases involving children and adolescents under judicial confidentiality, as provided by Brazilian Statute of the Child and Adolescent and Brazilian Law 13,431/2017, as well as with scenarios in which records have been withdrawn under family pressure, common in contexts of intrafamily sexual violence or proximity to the accused agent, as widely documented in specialized literature and in editorial productions on the subject. The portal records the reason for the absence of the document according to internal guidelines of its editorial protocol on reporting, with no intervention in situations involving potential threats to sources.
Formal attempts to obtain institutional response
In compliance with the principle of contradictory and with Brazilian Law 13,188/2015 (Right of Reply), BJJ Girls Mag sent a formal request for an institutional response to Palm Sports, the institution to which the instructor is currently affiliated, on May 22, 2026, through the official email of Mr. Fouad, director of the organization.
In the absence of an institutional response, two additional formal communications were sent: a follow-up request during the week of June 1 to 5, 2026, and a final request for response on June 4, 2026, with a deadline through June 5, 2026, without any reply through any of the channels. In parallel, this portal also sent a direct communication to the instructor André Marques Pereira Ramos himself, with a new individual deadline for response through June 8, 2026, in respect of the constitutional right of defense and contradictory. The instructor submitted a substantive personal response to the portal on June 6, 2026, within the granted timeframe, reproduced in full in the block below.
Statement submitted by instructor André Marques Pereira Ramos
On June 6, 2026, within the timeframe granted by BJJ Girls Mag for the exercise of the right of reply, instructor André Marques Pereira Ramos, known as André “Careca,” sent the portal a substantive personal statement through the email address andrecareca2000@hotmail.com. The reproduction below, without any alteration of content or order, observes Brazilian Law 13,188/2015 and the internal editorial protocol of the portal. Original Portuguese text followed by English translation provided by the portal for editorial reference:
Original (Portuguese):
“Prezada Sra. Samanta Fonseca,
Acuso o recebimento de sua mensagem.
Esclareço que não tenho conhecimento de qualquer investigação, processo judicial, acusação formal ou condenação relacionada aos fatos mencionados em seu e-mail.
Ao longo de minha trajetória profissional e pessoal, sempre procurei atuar de forma ética e respeitosa, motivo pelo qual recebo com surpresa as alegações referidas em sua comunicação.
Respeito o trabalho jornalístico e o direito de apuração dos fatos. Contudo, ressalto que qualquer publicação deve observar rigorosamente os princípios da presunção de inocência, do contraditório, da ampla defesa e da responsabilidade na divulgação de informações.
Caso existam acusações concretas, estas devem ser apresentadas às autoridades competentes, que são os órgãos legalmente responsáveis pela investigação e apuração dos fatos.
Por fim, reservo-me o direito de adotar as medidas legais cabíveis para a proteção da minha honra, imagem e reputação profissional diante de eventuais informações falsas, caluniosas, difamatórias ou que não estejam devidamente comprovadas.
Atenciosamente,
André Marques Pereira Ramos”
English translation (provided by the portal):
“Dear Mrs. Samanta Fonseca,
I acknowledge receipt of your message.
I clarify that I have no knowledge of any investigation, judicial process, formal accusation, or conviction related to the facts mentioned in your email.
Throughout my professional and personal trajectory, I have always sought to act in an ethical and respectful manner, which is why I receive with surprise the allegations referred to in your communication.
I respect journalistic work and the right of investigation of facts. However, I emphasize that any publication must rigorously observe the principles of presumption of innocence, contradictory, ample defense, and responsibility in the disclosure of information.
Should concrete accusations exist, these must be brought before the competent authorities, which are the bodies legally responsible for the investigation and verification of the facts.
Finally, I reserve the right to adopt the appropriate legal measures for the protection of my honor, image, and professional reputation against any false, slanderous, defamatory information or information that is not duly substantiated.
Sincerely,
André Marques Pereira Ramos”
In response to the statement, BJJ Girls Mag confirmed in writing to the sender the receipt and the full publication of the content submitted, with the same editorial prominence given to the main article, in compliance with Brazilian Law 13,188/2015.
Editorial observation regarding the statement
The editorial staff records that, in the statement submitted to BJJ Girls Mag, Mr. André Marques Pereira Ramos declares that he has no knowledge of any investigation, judicial process, formal accusation, or conviction related to the facts described in the account. The statement also records that Mr. André Marques Pereira Ramos affirms he has sought to act in an ethical and respectful manner throughout his professional and personal trajectory, and reserves the right to take appropriate legal measures in his defense. The inclusion of this observation is exclusively descriptive of the content presented by the manifestant himself in response to the request for response forwarded by the editorial staff, and does not constitute a judgment by the editorial staff on the veracity of the facts or on the institutional knowledge of the episodes.
Public interest information: How any person can communicate a notice of crime to authorities
Sexual crimes against children and adolescents are, under the Brazilian legal system, of public criminal action that does not require victim representation, in accordance with the amendment to article 225 of the Brazilian Penal Code by Brazilian Law 13,718/2018. This means that the Brazilian Public Ministry can act independently of the victim’s representation, and any person who has knowledge of facts can bring this information to the competent authorities, in the exercise of their citizenship right, as provided by article 5, paragraph 3, of the Brazilian Code of Criminal Procedure.
Persons with knowledge of facts related to the case reported here, or to other situations of violence against children and adolescents in the sports environment, can contribute by reporting to Brazilian authorities through the following official channels, available throughout the national territory:
— Disque 100 (Human Rights Hotline, anonymous, 24 hours, throughout Brazil)
— Specialized Police Department for Crimes Against Children and Adolescents (DCAV or equivalent name, depending on the federative unit)
— Conselho Tutelar (Guardianship Council) of the municipality where the facts occurred
— State Public Ministry, through respective Childhood and Youth Prosecutor’s Offices
— Civil Police, through ordinary precincts, in any city
BJJ Girls Mag clarifies that this citizenship guidance has the exclusively informative purpose of supporting the work of authorities, and does not constitute imputation of fact or recommendation of conduct against any nominally identified person. Criminal investigation is the exclusive responsibility of competent public authorities.
Editorial position and legal framing
This article is the result of an editorial investigation conducted by BJJ Girls Mag, a communication and information portal specialized in women’s jiu-jitsu, in full compliance with the internal editorial protocol on reporting, with Brazilian Statute of the Child and Adolescent, with Brazilian Law 13,431/2017, with the Brazilian General Data Protection Law (LGPD), with Brazilian Law 13,188/2015 (Right of Reply), and with the constitutional principles of freedom of the press, contradictory, presumption of innocence, and due legal process. The conduct described in the accounts verified does not constitute a definitive judgment of guilt, and the instructor cited in this article has not been convicted, in any instance, of the facts described. The investigation has the exclusive purpose of informing the Brazilian and international women’s jiu-jitsu community of a fact of relevant public interest, properly documented in material directly examined by the editorial staff and in sources interviewed within the source protection regime.
The portal expressly reiterates that sexual crimes against children and adolescents are non-prescriptible under the Brazilian legal system, in accordance with Brazilian Law 12,650/2012, updated by Brazilian Law 14,344/2022 (Henry Borel Law), and that the responsibility for any criminal investigation of the reported facts lies exclusively with Brazilian public authorities. The portal does not substitute police investigation and does not constitute a declaration of guilt.
The publication of this article is based on the exercise of the freedom of the press guaranteed by articles 5, IX, and 220 of the Brazilian Federal Constitution, on the consolidated understanding by the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court in its decision in ADPF 130, which prohibits any form of prior censorship of editorial work, and on the full compliance with the right of reply provided in Brazilian Law 13,188/2015. As an English-language publication of the portal, this material is additionally protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and by the protections of the Securing the Protection of our Enduring and Established Constitutional Heritage Act (SPEECH Act, 28 U.S.C. §§ 4101–4105), against the recognition of foreign defamation judgments inconsistent with U.S. constitutional standards of free speech. The public interest of this article also derives from the constitutional collective obligation of protection of children and adolescents from any form of violence, provided for in article 227 of the Brazilian Federal Constitution, in Brazilian Statute of the Child and Adolescent, and in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by Brazil in 1990.
Ongoing editorial investigation
BJJ Girls Mag maintains an active editorial investigation on the case, in collaboration with local and international sources, within the editorial protocol of source protection and protection of the people involved. Any information of relevant public interest, properly documented and with a response deadline granted to the parties cited, will be released in specific articles, always observing the right-of-reply procedure provided in applicable legislation.
Open channel
The institutional channel of BJJ Girls Mag remains open for formal statements from instructor André Marques Pereira Ramos, his defense, Palm Sports, its legal representatives, or any legally legitimated person, through the email bjjgirlsmag@gmail.com. Any statement submitted will be published with the same editorial prominence given to the main article, as determined by applicable legislation.