Brazil’s federal government handed the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child its first report on the situation of children and adolescents in Brazil.
The report refers to progress in the areas of health, education, and the war against child labor.
It also sounds an alert on issues such as the quality of education, special protection against child sexual abuse and exploitation, and the situation of youth offenders.
The information was delivered by Nilmário Miranda, Minister of the Special Secretariat for Human Rights, at the Committee’s 37th session, in Geneva, Switzerland.
In 1990 Brazil signed the International Convention on the Rights of the Child and promised to present a report on the application of children’s rights every five years.
But the country failed to comply with the agreement, and this is the first time in 14 years that the government is making a report.
Consequently, the report analyzes the situation of children and adolescents for the entire period from 1991 to 2002.
Representatives of the government and non-government organizations got together for five months to formulate the document.
In addition to policies to promote health and education, the report deals with themes such as discrimination, free speech, the situation of children who inhabit the streets, child labor, violence, and differences in opportunities for white and black children, whether or not they suffer from disabilities.
Agência Brasil
Reporter: Christiane Peres
Translator: David Silberstein