Department of Justice, Rating, Titles and Qualification
| Department of Justice, Rating, Titles and Qualification | |
|---|---|
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| Abbreviation | DEJUS |
| Purpose/focus | Rating body |
| Location | Brazil |
| Website | http://www.mj.gov.br/classificacao |
The DEJUS, or Department of Justice, Rating, Titles and Qualification (Departamento de Justiça, Classificação, Títulos e Qualificação in Portuguese) rates movies, games and television programs in Brazil. It is controlled by the Brazilian Ministry of Justice (Ministério da Justiça).
Contents |
Works [edit]
Movies and TV programs [edit]
People under the minimum age indicated by the rating can watch the movie and/or TV program accompanied by their parents, except for 18-rated movies on the cinemas.[1] Films for cinema and DVD/Blu-ray releases are previously rated by the DEJUS. TV programs are rated by their own broadcasters and therefore the rating can be accepted or denied if considered inappropriate.[2]
Games [edit]
Games are rated in Brazil by the DEJUS since October 2002. The growing game market in Brazil needed bigger control over the countless games sold in the country every day. It was introduced by Senator José Gregori.
The American system that was being used by some Brazilian distributors, from Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), was not translated from English or adapted to the Brazilian culture, being inappropriate for the Brazilian market and leaving most consumers uninformed.
Between October 2002 and September 2004, the DEJUS analyzed and rated over 2,100 electronic games for both computer and video game consoles.
The game rating system is the same of the film and television rating system. Rating is mandatory for all games released in Brazil. A consequence, is that several online stores (like PlayStation Network or Apple Store) do not sell games, or are not even available to Brazil.
Classification system [edit]
Before giving the final decision of a film, game and/or TV show rating, the rater goes through three different phases of their work, observing and analyzing the level of content that relates to sex, violence and drugs - the main factors that determine a rating.[2]
The moral values of the works are observed. The trained rater observes the frequency of references and/or situatuons relating to sex, violence and/or drug use. The relationships between the characters and their profiles are observed. The degree of nudity on the sex scenes is verified, what is used by the character in scenes of violence and the type of drug that is broached are also verified. Sexual orientation does not aggravate the rating. In fact, works that show material of respect and encouragement to diversity can attenuate their ratings.[3]
All classifications imposed in films, games and TV shows are published in the Brazilian Official Journal, along with small content descriptors, focused mainly on sex scenes, violence and drugs. The purpose of the rating is to guide parents about the content of the work.
From 18 November 2010 to 27 March 2011, the DEJUS surveyed the audience's opinions on the rating guidelines via an internet debate, that later reflected on the new 2012 Content Guidelines.[4] The DEJUS doesn't have any legal right to ban, demand cuts or refuse to rate any work.[5]
The DEJUS uses the following system:
NOTE: There is also operational descriptions of attenuating and aggravating elements, such as scene composition, relevance, frequency, motivation, among others, that can interfere on the final rating.[2]
| Icon | Description | TV screening time |
|---|---|---|
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Livre para todos os públicos (General Audiences - "GA"): This classification applies to works which contain predominantly positive contents and which do not bring unsuitable elements subject to ratings to ages higher than 10, such as the ones listed below:
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Não recomendado para menores de 10 anos (Not recommended for ages under 10 - "PG-10"): The following contents are accepted for this age range:
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Não recomendado para menores de 12 anos (Not recommended for ages under 12 - "PG-12"): The following contents are accepted for this age range:
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Não recomendado para menores de 14 anos (Not recommended for ages under 14 - "PG-14"): The following contents are accepted for this age range:
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Não recomendado para menores de 16 anos (Not recommended for ages under 16 - "PG-16"): The following contents are accepted for this age range:
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Não recomendado para menores de 18 anos (Not recommended for ages under 18 - "PG-18"): The following contents are accepted for this age range:
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Former Ratings [edit]
| Icon | Description | TV screening time |
|---|---|---|
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Especialmente recomendado para crianças e adolescentes (Especially recommended for children and teenagers) This film and/or TV program does not contain any inappropriate contents, but it may be better understood by children older than 9 years of age and teenagers. Abandoned in 2007. |
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Content Descriptors [edit]
Information on the rating system includes content descriptors which are a summary of the main rating indicators inserted in the work rated. The list of descriptors explains the rating system and also informs parents and guardians about the type of content that the work contains. For instance, a work rated as “10 years old” and with the descriptor “Violence” will contain light violent scenes, while a work rated as “16 years old” and the same descriptor will show stronger violent scenes. Below is a list of the twelve terms used in the rating system:[2]
- Violência (Violence);
- Violência Extrema (Extreme Violence);
- Conteúdo Sexual (Sexual Content);
- Nudez (Nudity);
- Sexo (Sex);
- Sexo Explícito (Explicit Sex);
- Drogas (Drugs);
- Drogas Lícitas (Legal Drugs);
- Drogas Ilícitas (Illegal Drugs);
- Linguagem Imprópria (Inappropriate Language);
- Atos Criminosos (Criminal Acts);
- Conteúdo Impactante (Impacting Content).
Requesting a rating [edit]
In order to request a Qualification Rating, one will have to provide a documentation (in a Portuguese-language form) which explains why a media (game/TV show, etc.) is recommended or not to a certain rating. A preview of that media is also cumplosory to avoid mistakes during media verification.
The document will have to be sent to the Department. There's no fee to get the rating and the process from the documents reception to the official rating can take about 20 days.
References [edit]
- ^ http://www.centerplex.com.br/institucional/classificacao.php
- ^ a b c d Practical Guide Content Rating (PDF)
- ^ http://portal.mj.gov.br/classificacao/main.asp?ViewID={09C66D3D-927A-4AA4-90E1-40CC176378E4}¶ms=itemID={845D06B3-1A61-45CE-9BE0-850D28D0E17B}%3b&UIPartUID={2218FAF9-5230-431C-A9E3-E780D3E67DFE}
- ^ http://portal.mj.gov.br/Classificacao/main.asp?View={09C66D3D-927A-4AA4-90E1-40CC176378E4}&Team=¶ms=itemID={E0BE2DEB-DA6A-48D3-906F-F77765559442};&UIPartUID={2218FAF9-5230-431C-A9E3-E780D3E67DFE}
- ^ http://portal.mj.gov.br/Classificacao/main.asp?View={09C66D3D-927A-4AA4-90E1-40CC176378E4}&Team=¶ms=itemID={8B93D7B5-016A-487F-895C-CE4BBD02D808};&UIPartUID={2218FAF9-5230-431C-A9E3-E780D3E67DFE}
External links [edit]
- DEJUS page (in Portuguese)
- Rated movies and games database (in Portuguese)
- Links to the needed forms (in Portuguese)
