Country Context

Economic indicators rate Brazil as an upper middle-income country, but high levels of inequality, unemployment and exclusion persist contributing to violence at the interpersonal, family, community, institutional and societal levels. 45.5% of youth aged 15-25 are neither in education, nor employment. As a result many young people get caught up in or accused of committing criminal activities. The vast majority of these are male from low-income, urban-based communities and mostly of African-Brazilian descent. They have little access to legal-social representation/support, and are often ‘lost’ in Brazil’s underresourced and over-crowded juvenile detention system. Juvenile detention centres in Brazil have come in for criticism for being overcrowded, harsh and unsanitary, with documented cases of young people being submitted to cruel and even violent treatment.

The Project

The initiative seeks to promote and defend the rights of marginalized children and young people in Rio de Janeiro who have committed (or are accused of committing) criminal offences and who are undergoing socio-educational measures within or outside detention centres. The main activities of the project include:

• Encouraging current and past young offenders and their families to learn about their rights, seek and receive legal advice, and participate on advocacy initiatives;
• Taking action in verified cases of victimisation by law enforcement institutions;
• Strengthening ‘Conselhos Tutelares’ (Custody Councils) capacity to safeguard young offenders rights by providing them with the necessary tools and support according to their specific needs.
• Reinforcing the roles and responsibilities of the Judiciary, governmental and nongovernmental institutions in connection to the protection of young offenders’ rights;
• Increasing and strengthening cooperation between governmental and non-governmental actors involved in the protection of young people in contact/conflict with the law.
• Raising awareness and improving media and civil society’s understanding of the situation of young offenders, including disabled and HIV+ offenders
• Influencing policies and practices related to the implementation of socioeducational/pedagogic measures in detention and on parole, and the right to fair treatment in detention and within the whole justice system.Juvenile detention centre in Rio

Challenges and lesson learnt so far

Rights awareness is essential

• Inter-sectoral partnerships are important in order for change to happen in both policy and practice and for this change to be sustainable at the local level.
• Working with the families of young offenders is an essential part of their successful reintegration to or “reconciliation” with society.
• One of the biggest challenges is changing attitudes towards young offenders and raising awareness as to the factors that push children into criminal and violent activities. Working with the media to change how it portrays young offenders is key to helping change public attitudes.