April, 4th 2024. 

The 12th National Conference on the Rights of Children and Adolescents is taking place between April 2nd and 4th in the capital city, Brasília. The National conference happens every 3 years and includes adults and young people elected in all the Brazilian states. This year the event involved 1200 delegates and over 300 were children and adolescents. The theme for this year´s conference is Human rights of children and adolescents in times of the Covid-19 pandemic: violations and vulnerabilities, necessary actions to repair and guarantee full protection policies, with respect for diversity. Its objective is to promote broad social mobilization at the municipal, state and national levels to reflect and evaluate the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the lives of children, adolescents and their families. The aim is to formulate proposals and strategic implementation of public actions and policies that respond to their needs and promote their rights in pandemic and post-pandemic contexts.

The CIESPI/PUC-Rio team is actively participating in this important meeting. Irene Rizzini, CIESPI´s director and professor at PUC-Rio lectured on the panel Expanding and consolidating the participation of children and adolescents in spaces for discussion and deliberation on public policies to promote, protect and defend their rights, during and after the pandemic. 

The young research assistant Gustavo Gomes, member of the South Fluminense Youth Forum (FJSFA) and Levante Popular da Juventude also participated in the event. Professor Rizzini and Gustavo Gomes represented the team of the project Youth participation and protagonism in Brazil: a study in the South Fluminense Region of Rio de Janeiro, as part of the International and Canadian Child Rights Partnership (ICCRP). 

Marina de Pol Poniwas, representative of the Federal Council of Psychology (CFP). Current president of the National Council for the Rights of Children and Adolescents (CONANDA).

They also distributed two documents produced by the team based on the experiences of participation and protagonism of the young people. The first publication aims at engaging children and young people whilst the second, an adult audience focusing on intergenerational aspects of participation. The goal is to present some practical guidelines to facilitate the inclusion and active participation of children and young people in debates on public spaces such as the Children´s Rights Councils. 

Access the "Practical Guide to Protagonism for Children and Adolescents" and the document "Recommendations to Municipal Councils for the Rights of Children and Adolescents (CMDCAs) on Child and Youth Participation".