Brazil: Military police shown ‘All the Invisible Children’
6 Aug 2012 Juvenile justiceBrazil
100 policemen from the military police force were confronted with what happens to the majority of the teenagers they arrest every day for various offences; a chance to open up talks between the policemen and the adolescents around such subjects like guaranteeing human rights in all circumstances, and about the support to give these youngsters.
‘All the Invisible Children’, a film commissioned by the UNICEF, continues to move the consciousness of adults. Through seven short films, great directors (such as Emir Kusturica, Spike Lee, Jordan and Ridley Scott, etc.) reveal to us the tough fate of children from the four corners of the earth. Each of these short films evokes a situation of material and emotional insecurity endured by the children in different countries: child soldiers, maltreated ones, living on the streets, in prison… all situations that Terre des hommes comes into contact with in its projects.
In Brazil, Tdh is well known for its activities to aid the reintegration of delinquent youngsters and for its fight against their being put in prison rather than in open complexes, with respect for their rights. Introduced by the State Academy for Public Safety of Ceara (in the north of Brazil), ‘All the Invisible Children’ was shown to 100 policemen from the military police force, to confront them with the reality experienced by millions of youngsters, in particular delinquent ones. These policemen are the first to be in contact with the children who commit offences, and many of them violate the latter’s basic rights and interfere negatively in their reintegration.
After the film was shown, talks were held between the policemen and the specialists in Justice Juvenile, moderated by Tdh colleagues including Isabel de Sousa, who said: “This chance to discuss things was of major importance, as it is essential to further the national public security by putting emphasis on the need to train these professionals on the subject of human rights”.
The discussions were about good practices in the judicial system, such as the approach of the police to these youngsters, or the importance of their constant presence and the support they can bring. Even though the young people have committed offences, their rights must still be respected and every effort made to ensure their social and educational reintegration, respecting their rights.
