Presidente Amigo da Criança Project
To build a better Brazil for our children it is essential for us to unite the forces of our governments, private enterprises and civilian society, placing children as a real priority. For this purpose, Fundação Abrinq created the Presidente Amigo da Criança project, in the aim of closely monitoring the public policies implemented by the government in the area of childhood and youth. The monitoring is carried out based on the commitments assumed by the Brazilian State, in 2002, in the Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly, expressed in the document “A World for the Children” and in the “Termo de Compromisso Presidente Amigo da Criança” (Child Friendly President Term of Commitment), this latter drawn up by Fundação Abrinq and signed by the President of the Republic. Among the commitments made are: reducing the rates of infant and maternal mortality, improving the quality of public schooling, protecting children from all forms of abuse, negligence, exploitation and violence, and also carrying out preventive actions to reduce the prevalence of HIV/AIDS among the child/youth population. In 2009, in the aim of strengthening the dialogue with the current government, we held meetings with Federal Deputy Rita Camata, with the Federal Deputy and coordinator of the Parliamentary Front for the Rights of Children and Adolescents, Mr. Paulo Henrique Lustosa, The National Association of Centers for the Defense of Children and Adolescents – ANCED (Associação Nacional dos Centros de Defesa da Criança e do Adolescente) and with the Child and Adolescent Rights Center – CEDECA (Centro de Direitos da Criança e do Adolescente) from Interlagos, to discuss the policies in progress. In April, we received a visit from His Excellency the Minister Paulo Vannuchi. On the occasion, it was agreed that the Federal Government would deliver, by the end of the month, the last report for the first administration of President Lula, communicating which actions were implemented in the benefit of children and adolescents. It was also defined that the plan of action referring to the President’s second mandate, until 2008, was to be delivered in June 2009 and, furthermore: that the report for 2009 will be delivered in June 2010. Nevertheless, by the date of concluding this report, the Federal Government sent us none of the reports we were supposed to receive in 2009.
104
What is the Presidente Amigo da Criança Project? This project aims to gain the commitment of the President of the Republic to creating and implementing public policies designed to improve the situation of children and adolescents in Brazil, thereby guaranteeing their rights, in accordance with the goals defined by the UN.