‘Neglected Children’
Unfortunately, in Rio de Janeiro in particular but in other major cities around the world as well, street kids are looked at as a problem or a nuisance to the rest of those living and working in the cities respectively. Instead of viewing these kids as problems, their presence in the streets should be reason enough for both government and civil society alike to immediately stand up for their rights.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child states clearly in article 3 that when parents fail to fulfill the basic needs of their children such as food, shelter and basic safety that, “The State shall provide the child with adequate care when parents, or others charged with that responsibility, fail to do so…” Article 20 continues this when it states clearly “The State is obliged to provide special protection for a child deprived of the family environment.”
Here in Brazil, the rights stated above are clearly echoed in the Statute of the Child and Adolescent, stating in Article 4 that it is, “…the duty of the family, community, society in general and the public authority to ensure, with absolute priority, effective implementation of the rights to life, health, nutrition, etc…” Both legislations are direct and clear about the necessity for the State and general public to look out for children who are not given the proper love and care from their families for whatever reason.
Street kids are the most visible representation of the failures of both the state and civil society to defend these very basic rights of children, but the problem is much bigger than just the street kids. Millions of kids in Rio and throughout Brazil are living in poverty and while their families may provide a roof to sleep under, they deserve much more than just shelter.
Fortunately, here in Rio and around the globe there are many people fighting for the rights of children whose families have neglected them and we must celebrate their achievements and work here. One group in particular doing work like this is Sao Martinho, whose headquarters is in the heart of Lapa outside of the center of Rio de Janeiro. Sao Martinho works around the clock as a social and education center for the children of Rio. This center works on a variety of projects with the goal of re-integrating children to society and reuniting them with their families.
Projeto Uere does similar work in Mare, one of Rio’s largest favelas, concentrating on fulfilling the rights of children to receive an education which aims to “develop the child’s personality, talents and mental and physical abilities to the fullest extent” (CRC, article 29).
In addition to these two bigger, higher profile organizations; there are hundreds of similar groups working tirelessly on defending the most basic rights of children here in Rio. We invite our readers to comment here on the site about organiazations in their own communities doing work like this.
Further Reading
See the below link for a fascinating article from comunidadsegura on this subject:
Brazil: Lack of family structure is leading cause of violence among youths, according to study
Links to further information on both Sao Martinho and Projecto Uere:
Welcome
This website is in celebration of the 18th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which was formally adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on November 20, 1989; and Brazil’s own Statute of the Child and Adolescent (ECA) based on the same principles as the CRC and implemented as National Law in July of the following year.
The ECA legally obligates the Brazilian Government to protect children’s rights. The statute defines children as citizens with the rights to respect, dignity and freedom. It also emphasizes important needs in a child’s life, such as health, education, sports and leisure, among others, and aims to protect the rights of all children in Brazil.
However, although the ECA generously ensures the rights of children, its full implementation is yet to be achieved 18 years after it was enacted. Through researching Children’s Rights, Children’s Health, and Government Accountability, we hope to draw attention to these issues, provide links to further resources, and to act as a public space to both celebrate and publicize the rights of children everywhere.
We hope that the creation of this website can help ensure that the 18th birthday of the Statute will indeed be a pivotal year for children’s rights in Brazil. As the ECA matures and enters adulthood, we hope that this can act as a reminder for the adults of Brazil to join the movement towards achieving the full implementation of the ECA and the realization of children’s rights in Brazil.
Working in the Streets
According to The Statute of the Child and Adolescent, the following types of work are prohibited to employed adolescents, apprentices, those working in a family labor system, students of technical schools, those assisted in governmental and nongovernmental entities:I - night work, between 10:00pm of one day and 05:00am of the following day;
II - dangerous, unhealthy or heavy work;
III - work in areas prejudicial to their formation and physical, psychic, moral and social development;
IV - work according to schedules and in localities that make school attendance impossible.
Brazil also signed the International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention 182 in 2000. This convention outlines the forms of child labor exploitation. Friday night in Lapa, where the party does not pick up until sometime after 11pm, children can be seen everywhere. They are selling gum, candy and other treats for the few hundred people circling around the arches; they are yelling out of van doors “Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon” or they are shining shoes of the people sitting, enjoying their Friday night.
Though this work is prohibited, it is clear that what is written is not being enforced. It is obvious that working at 2 in the morning at 7 years of age is dangerous and unhealthy, especially in areas like Lapa where these children are weaving through intoxicated individuals, men urinating and sex workers.
Working in these areas impede on psychic, moral, physical and social development of the children who are exposed everyday to this night life.
Of course this is the child labor that is blatant, easy for the eyes to see. What about the labor that involves children trafficking drugs in the favelas, where this type of labor is less visible but not by any means less common?
The issue is if children are selling gum in Lapa and other parts of Rio, where police and other government officials can see and no one is doing anything about it, how can one begin to help the child that is selling or carrying drugs deep in the favelas?
Further links:
To find out more about child labor and the drug market read:
To learn more about an organization working with street children check out:
To learn more about ILO Convention 182 check out:
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