Changing laws may raise risk facing vulnerable social groups

The head of the Human Rights Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic, Minister Pepe Vargas, said Tuesday (Jul 21) that, at a moment of heated political debate, considering changes to human rights legislation, like the reduction in the age of criminal responsibility, may undermine the rights of vulnerable social groups by exposing them to violations.

While announcing figures from a report on Disque 100, a hotline created to field complaints about human rights violations, Vargas said he was concerned that aggressive statements might end up fueling intolerance and hate in society. “It'd be really significant,” he said, “if we could make a major political pact in defense of democracy and human rights—a political pact that would bring all efforts together,” the minister said.

Vargas argues that some congressmen are planning to make civil and political rights more flexible. He mentioned proposed amendments to the statue on disarmament and the law regulating child labor. The minister said differences are acceptable in politics, economy, and other areas, but not when it comes to ensuring the enforcement of civil and political rights. It is important to isolate sectors working to reverse the progress in legislation made so far, he believes.

The data released cover the first semester of 2015 and reveal that 63.2% of all calls heard are connected with the violation of human rights of children and adolescents. The politician noted that the figure attests to the vulnerability facing this portion of the population. Nonetheless, he says, it should be seen as positive, as the semester saw a considerable reduction in the number of cases reported. Complaints about violence against children and adolescents went from 49,248 in the first half of last year to 42,114 in the same period this year. The most common violations registered are negligence, psychological harassment, and physical violence,

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira