Brazil: Govt launches campaign to protect children's rights

The campaign actions will be boosted during the Carnival period

Published on 15/02/2017 - 12:45 By Heloisa Cristaldo reports from Agência Brasil - Brasília

Brasília - O ministro do Turismo, Marx Beltrão, e a diretora do departamento de Ouvidoria Nacional da SEDH, Irina Bacci, no lançamento de campanha contra a exploração de menores (Fabio Rodrigues Pozzebom/Agência Brasil)

The Brazilian government launched a children's rights campaignTuesday (Feb. 14), called “Respect, Protect, Enforce—Standing Up Together for Children's Rights”.Fabio Rodrigues Pozzebom/Agência Brasil

The Brazilian government launched a children's rights campaignTuesday (Feb. 14), called “Respeitar, Proteger, Garantir – Todos Juntos pelos Direitos da Criança e do Adolescente” (which could be translated as “Respect, Protect, Enforce—Standing Up Together for Children's Rights”). It will boost child protection in Brazil during the Carnival period, but runs all year round.

Among other actions, the campaign promotes a hotline to report child abuse (Disque 100, or “Dial 100 for Human Rights”) and an app called Proteja Brazil. The Ministry of Tourism, the Brazilian Airport Infrastructure Corporation (INFRAERO), the National Mayors' Front, the European Union, and Childhood Brazil organization support the campaign.

Tourism Minister Marx Beltrão said videos will be circulated to 59,000 tourist places in Brazil to engage their help combating sexual exploitation, by preventing the entry of undocumented children at certain places, for example. According to the minister, bars and restaurants must not sell alcohol to children or tolerate child labor or sexual exploitation of children on their premises.

The purpose is to raise awareness among the population of any rights violation situations, especially sexual violence, child labor, alcohol and drug abuse, and children on the street, which are common during festive periods. In addition, the campaign aims to educate parents and guardians about the importance of taking steps to avoid having their children getting lost in the crowd.

The Disque 100 hotline will provide extended services during the Carnival period (February 24-28), operating 24 hours a day, on any day of the week. The attendants will be ready to handle reports and answer inquiries in Portuguese, English, and Spanish.

Reports

At the campaign launching ceremony, it was noted that the number of reports of violations of children's rights was down by 3% in 2016 compared to the previous year.

A total 77,290 reports of children's rights violations were lodged over the year. The Carnival period accounted for 17.4% of the total reports. Between January and December 2016, 2,351 reports of child porn were made through the various reporting channels.

Brasília - Secretária Nacional de Promoção dos Direitos da Criança e do Adolescente, Cláudia Vidigal, durante lançamento da campanha contra a exploração de menores (Fabio Rodrigues Pozzebom/Agência Brasil)

Cláudia Vidigal, Children's Rights Secretary at the Ministry of Human RightsFabio Rodrigues Pozzebom/Agência Brasil

“The decreasing number of reports raises concerns, and we're on alert to promote the hotline more widely so that these reports can get to the appropriate authorities to be investigated,” said Cláudia Vidigal, Children's Rights Secretary at the Ministry of Human Rights. She pointed out that the fact that there were fewer reports does not mean the violations against children have decreased.

The most reported violations were neglect, psychological, physical and sexual abuse, and child labor. An average 398.43 cases are reported a day. The victims were most often girls—53% of the cases. Children aged up to 7 years were the most vulnerable, accounting for 43% of the reports.

A total 190 reports of violations or abuse related to sexual orientation were received in 2016, more than twice as many as in 2015 (96).


Translated by Mayra Borges


Fonte: Brazil: Govt launches campaign to protect children's rights

Edition: Fábio Massalli / Nira Foster

Latest news