| Posted: May 20 2005,14:45 |
If you wrote this report, you will find a button here that you may click
in order to make changes in the report. 
|
PROGRESS: Has your organization seen
progress toward a culture of peace and nonviolence in your domain of
action and in your constituency during the first half of the Decade? |
Introduction
Institute Sou da Paz (ISDP) is a Public Interest Civil Society
Organization (Organização da Sociedade Civil de Interesse Público,
OSCIP) and was registered with the Ministry of Justice in act # MJ
08015.001395/2003-61 in 1999. Its mission is to contribute to the
implementation in Brazil of effective public policies in the fields of
security and violence prevention that are based on the values of
democracy, social justice, and human rights, by means of social
mobilization and the diffusion of innovative practices in the field.
These goals are in turn supported by ISDP’s conceptual foundation, the
creation of a Culture of Peace at all managerial levels: regional,
municipal, state, federal and international.
Through
events designed to mobilize governmental organs and society at large,
as well as develop, implement and monitor sustainable projects
that
aim to reduce levels of urban violence, ISDP disseminates on a daily
basis the concepts and principles of a Culture of Peace, based on the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adapted to the particular
circumstances of the regions involved.
Disarmament
In
1997, with rising levels of violence a principle concern of Brazilians,
São Paulo found itself at the center of the problem, one of the three
cities with the highest crime rates in the country. Based on this
perception, the "Sou da Paz Campaign for Disarmament" was launched,
offering alternatives for controlling violence that did not respond,
contradictorily, with even greater brutality, but were based on
rational analysis of the problem. The Campaign focused its
attention on controlling firearms, at that time an issue almost
entirely unknown in Brazil yet crucial to reducing violent deaths and
that symbolizes like no other the need to find collective solutions and
more efficient public policies as the only way to confront the problem.
The campaign was echoed by other sectors of society and
quickly expanded and gained momentum. One of the major publicity
agencies in the country DM9/DDB volunteered to create and produce the
logo of the campaign and campaign announcements and important vehicles
of communication began to get involved in dissemination of the
campaign’s message for disarmament. Musicians, actors, famous sports
players and soon the entire country began to join the movement
displaying the energy that the campaign evoked in the population.
Results
*
The most visible result of the mobilization brought about by the
campaign was the guns voluntarily turned and later publicly destroyed
during the campaign - 3,000 guns in São Paulo alone. But even more
important was the fact that the topic of disarmament became a central
issue on the political agenda of the country bringing about a growing
group of defenders of the idea of outlawing gun sales for civilians.
*
After the success of the campaign, in 1999, the Instituto Sou da Paz
was founded with a new mission to not only to mobilize and raise
awareness of society and to open a dialogue with the governmental
authorities involved in the area of security, but also to build peace -
based on the technical efficiency of the police, by giving priority to
non repressive violence prevention strategies and by uniting the
efforts of all key actors involved in the area of public security.
* In 2003 the National Congress finally approved
the Disarmament Statue after five years of debate. They Insituto Sou da
Paz played an important part in getting the Statute passed by
organizing public debates, acts, events, awareness raising campaigns
and through technical support in the actual writing of the law.
*
The gun collection campaign (provided for by the Disarmament Statute)
beginning in July of 2004 has surprised everyone with its results -
over 322 thousand guns have been voluntarily turned in. In São Paulo
alone this number has surpassed 105 thousand guns.
* The goal of
the Statue, to reduce the number of guns in circulation and
consequently the number of homicides in Brazil, is already being
accomplished. According to mortality statistics from the public
health system (Pro -Aim : Programa de Aprimoramento das Informações de
Mortalidade) in the municipality of São Paulo) there was a registered
decrease of 24% in the number of homicides committed in 2004 compared
with 2003. The homicide rate dropped from 46.8 to 35.6 per hundred
thousand inhabitants. In absolute terms there were 1,168 less
deaths from firearms compared to the year before. The biggest decline
in homicide rates occurred in the areas of social exclusion located in
the periphery of the city of São Paulo. Among the districts with the
largest decline in homicides are Jardim Angela, well known for high
crime rates, and Itaim paulista. In both of these districts there were
62 less murders than the previous year.
Additionally, the Disarmament Statute has provided many other important benefits to the country:
* Stricter control of production and sales of guns
* New restriction for buying a gun
* Carrying a gun on you has been outlawed
* Carrying a non-registered gun is now a crime without bail
* Emission of gun registrations has been centralized and is now controlled by the Federal Police
* The level of awareness about the risks involved in owning a gun has increased
* Involvement of all sectors of society
* Disarmament Committees have formed in almost every state in Brazil
* Reduced number of homicides in select states
Democracy and Humanization
The
actions implemented by ISDP prioritize the democratic rights in the law
making process as well as the institutions that work to implement the
law, such as the police, the penal system and the justice system.
Since
2004 the ISDP has worked to stimulate good police practices, such as
closer relationships between the police and their communities and
substitution of repressive conduct for educative conduct. ISDP
tries to show that the responsibility for public security should be
divided between the State and civil society.
* The concrete
results we can site from our work are 50 thousand adolescents that have
already benefited from the ISDP’s Youth and Citizenship programs. These
are young Brazilians who have become real social protagonists that take
care of and make use of community spaces, of public equipment, and of
the dissemination of a culture of peace in the environments where they
live. The projects implemented with these goals are: Pólos da Paz
(Peace Poles) and Grêmio em forma (student councils) that are
implemented in regions with high rates of homicide and criminal
activity.
* Instituto Sou da Paz also tries to integrate the
community around these adolescents through participative dialogue with
the goal of reducing violence in these communities. The
communities that have worked with Instituto Sou da Paz are able to
identify priorities, make decisions and take actions that are important
for the security and safety. These communities are a central part of
the solution for violence (that combines policing, community justice
and alternative penalties as well as social preventative measures such
as creating groups of student leaders and creation of shared public
spaces). In this way ISDP works to consolidate and strengthen
democratic culture and practice.
* In order for violence
prevention to reach other levels (state, municipal and regional)
Instituto Sou da Paz works hard to maintain a relationship of
cooperation with local organizations and social movements and strives
to involve them in each step of our projects and actions. With
this mentality Instituto Sou da Paz has been successful in involving a
large number of different partner organizations, public
representatives, private businesses and community representatives in
order to provide concrete and adequate solutions suited to the
individual necessities of each community.
Conclusion
Through
out the first half of the decade, the Instituto Sou da Paz has been
completing our goals in small increments through: interviews and
debates and other diverse vehicles of communication, creating events to
raise awareness, public speeches and campaign publicity, booklets,
accompanying and participating in the law making process, monitoring of
measures taken by the Legislative and executive branches, and the
development of strategies aimed at persuading public authorities,
social leaders and public opinion with the purpose of promoting a
culture of peace and confronting urban violence bearing in mind the
values defended by the ISDP.
The programs and projects
implemented by ISDP also strive to promote citizenship with young
Brazilians from the periphery of São Paulo. As a result,
Instituto Sou da Paz has created and strengthened opportunities for
democratic participation and established a new form of dialogue and
cohabitation between diverse social actors. In this way ISDP has
achieved involvement of adolescents who act to transform their social
environments and consequently end up contributing to violence reduction
through presenting alternatives to obtain basic needs and human rights
with out the use of force. For this process to be complete
Instituto Sou da Paz has recognized the need to also involve actors
from the Justice and Security systems, such as police officers judicial
powers and the penitentiary systems. In this way ISDP has been
successful in involving all of they key actors in dialogue and
cohabitation allowing for the democratization and humanization of
relations between them.
|
OBSTACLES: What are the most important obstacles that have prevented progress?
|
The
main obstacles to defusing a culture of peace into practices in
everyday life encountered by the Instituto Sou da Paz can be summed up
as:
* Insufficient information
Quantitative - Due to the
lack of constant research consulting the victims of gun violence and
insufficient information from the Criminal Justice system as a whole,
it is practically impossible to determine the real dimensions of
criminal activity in the country. There is no reliable statistics to
show the difference between the actual number of crimes committed and
the number of crimes that are reported to the police. To
summarize, we cannot objectively evaluate our progress and the
efficiency of the system because there is no reliable information.
Qualitative
- In addition to being insufficient, the existing statistics are also
superficial, because, in general, the police reports don’t investigate
essential information about the context of each homicide. Police
intelligence needs to be a priority and receive more investment from
the government. Additionally, the public security system should
seek partners capable of increasing the quality of this information,
such is the case with the public health system, for example, that
produces detailed information about crime and violence victims.
* Myths
In
Brazil the people and institutions that are dedicated to the study of
crime and crime prevention are very few. This results in the
absence of information available to found solid, effective polices on
that will actually reduce violence and crime. This absence of
information not only about crimes that occur with in Brazil, but also
about the success of violence prevention in other cities and countries,
allows for the reproduction of erroneous beliefs and myths about how to
solve the problem. These myths heavily influence people’s
opinions on questions that have been questioned for some time in other
countries such as: a) the efficiency of the death penalty, b) the
benefits of longer prison terms, c) the advantages of privatization of
prisons, d) the deterring effects of imprisonment e e) the population’s
"right to bear arms".
* Difficulty financing mobilization and awareness raising projects
In
Brazil one of the major difficulties is identifying partners who are
interested in financing projects that aim to raise awareness and
consequently mobilize society to make a change. The vast majority of
sponsors prefer to support concrete projects that can easily be
measured and evaluated. Because of this many projects are abandoned, in
most cases, because they require actions that have costs for graphic
design, audio-visual and industrial support material, videos, spots,
posters, adds, giveaways and other material for communication as well
as the availability of professionals to participate in debates,
interviews and other discussions.
* Difficulties evaluating results
Awareness
raising and mobilization campaigns produce results within interpersonal
relationships and everyday behavior that are difficult to evaluate.
Although they do produce results, these results are abstract and
measurable only by very specific types of research that are also very
expensive.
* Lack of strict control and an Arms Trade Treaty
Today
we can assert that illegal arms’ trafficking takes place all along the
Brazilian border and that arms commerce in the world is out of control.
There are an estimated 640 million guns in the world, one for
every ten people. Around 1,000 companies in close to 98 countries
produce these guns. Every year 8 million guns are produced. Every year
16 billion bullets are produced. That means 2 bullets for every man
women and child on the planet. One third of all countries spend more on
weapons than on health care. The most powerful countries are the
largest suppliers and, for this reason, they should be held responsible
for controlling the world gun market. The five permanent members of the
Security Council of the United Nations - France, Russia, China, England
and the United States represent 88% of the world gun exports.
Additionally the tradition of destroying old weapons of the police and
military forces, consequently these guns and ammunition end up in
criminal hands. In the last four years, the profit that the
United States, England and France earned from guns exports to Africa,
the Middle East, Asia and Latin America totaled more than the amount
these countries invested in humanitarian aid.
In
order to combat international arms trafficking an International Arms
Trade Treaty is necessary in order to consolidate the gun control laws
between countries, not only in Latin America but also on the other five
continents. There must be punishment for illegal arms trafficking
as well as mechanisms for the exchange of information between
countries.
|
ACTIONS: What actions have been
undertaken by your organization to promote a culture of peace and
nonviolence during the first half of the Decade?
|
During
the first half of the World Decade for a Culture of Peace, Instituto
Sou da Paz completed many actions with the aim of awareness raising and
mobilizing society to build a culture of peace and non-violence.
GUN CONTROL
The
area responsible for arms control at Instituto Sou da Paz is committed
to communicating the importance of disarmament, exposing myths about
violence and mobilizing the population and the government to increase
gun control as the first step in building a culture of Peace. Some of
the activities implemented by this area in the last five years are
listed bellow.
07/07/2000:
Public act for peace in the Plaza
Se (center of São Paulo). On this occasion Instituto Sou da Paz
mobilized 20,000 people who took to the streets to say ENOUGH, NO MORE
VIOLENCE and ask for peace. This act was part of the campaign ENOUGH! I
WANT PEACE, which happened simultaneously in 15 capital cities in
Brazil.
07/09/2002: During International Disarmament Day 10
thousand people gathered in the Vale do Anhangabaú to raise
awareness about the important date and the necessity for more rigorous
gun control laws.
2003: Instituto Sou da Paz, taking
advantage of the new mandate of the National Congress, produced an
informative newsletter "Sou da Paz no Legislativo"(Sou da Paz in the
Legislature) delivered to federal deputies. The newsletter
contained information about disarmament and exposing erroneous myths
about violence and firearms.
10/24/2003: In order to pressure
congress to accelerate the voting process for the proposed Disarmament
Statute, ISDP mobilized the population in order to manifest their
indignation once again in the Plaza Se. In this event 9,969
candles were lit for the victims who died from gun violence during the
three months that the bill was staled in the Câmara dos Deputados
(House of Representatives). At the same moment the Control Arms
Campaign, an international campaign organized by IANSA, Amnesty
International and Oxfam of which Insituto Sou da Paz is the Brazilian
national representative, was launched in Brazil.
10/12/2004: On
Children’s Day the Insituto Sou da Paz produced a large event with the
participation of more than 2,000 children from the southern region of
São Paulo where our Peace and Disarmament quilt was first exhibited.
The Peace and Disarmament quilt symbolizes Brazilian society
united in the name of disarmament. Each square represents and
individual, group, company or association and carries a message about
the importance of building peace. The Peace and Disarmament quilt
is now more than 100 square meters.
10/20/2004: In a benefit
soccer game of Criança Esperança (Chilkdren’s Hope), promoted by Unesco
that took place in the estádio Palestra Itália in São Paulo. Instituto
Sou da Paz took hundreds of children to help open the Peace and
Disarmament quilt on the field before the game. Five thousand people
attended the game and many celebrities appeared to support disarmament.
12/12/2004: In partnership with the Disarmament Committee of
São Paulo, of which ISDP is a member, D-day for Disarmament was held.
The event mobilized the population to gather at the state
Legislative Assembly. Hundreds of people, associations and
organizations signed a letter, in which they committed themselves to
participate in initiatives for disarmament.
31/03/2005: For
two days Instituto Sou da Paz held the first meeting of the Disarmament
Committees in Brazil. The meeting was held in São Paulo and 50
representatives of the Disarmament Committees from 9 different states.
The goal of the event was to share experiences from each region and
create strategies for a National Campaign to win the referendum that
will prohibit the sale of guns to civilians if passed in October of
2005.
2000-2005: Since 2000 ISDP has been capacitating and
managing a group of volunteers called the "Agents of Peace". These
volunteers give talks, speeches, workshops and other activities about
gun control and violence prevention. In the last five years the
Peace Agents have given hundreds of talks in schools, companies,
events, associations and to other groups.
Many other
projects were also developed and implemented by the Instituto Sou da
Paz during this same period in addition to our disarmament initiatives:
CENAFOCO (National Center for Community Development)
DESCRIPTION:
Project to develop young leaders instructed through a series of courses and workshops.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
(2001- 2002)
Creation
of three groups of adolescents in the periphery of Sao Paulo (an area
with significantly high homicide rates) that concluded classes on
Social Entrepreneurship, Environmental Management, Social Management,
Human Rights and volunteer work. These three groups later
developed and implemented eight projects within their communities based
on community needs.
CRAVI (Center for Support of Victims of Violence)
DESCRIPTION:
A
judiciary and psychological services provided by the State Government
of São Paulo for family members of victims of violent crimes.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
(2001 - 2003)
Instituto
Sou da Paz provided support in making information about these free
services available, specifically, to communities in the periphery of
São Paulo most affected by armed violence.
GRÊMIO EM FORMA (Developing Student leaders)
DESCRIPTION:
A
project to develop student councils in public schools in order to
promote pacific solutions to conflicts as well as stimulate dialogue
and negotiation among the students.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
(2001)
- Three pilot student councils formed
- Help manual for students interested in forming student councils created.
(2002)
- 25 Student Councils created
- Coordination of a discussion forum to orientate students interested in forming student councils in their schools.
-
Participation in discussion forums and seminars about violence in
schools, strategies to control and prevent this phenomenon and to
strengthen student councils using them as a space for legitimate
"political" participation for adolescents.
(2003)
- Coordination of student participants in the National Campaign for the Right to Education
- 1st inter- student council soccer for peace championship with the participation of 12 student councils.
- Discussion forum for student councils in the Southern region of São Paulo
- Student council participation in the São Paulo State Education Plan and the National Education Plan
(2004)
-
Support for student councils already formed and the creation of many
more student council members in the southern region of São Paulo
- Participation in the World Social Forum for Education (São Paulo)
- Participation in the State Conference on Youth (São Paulo)
- Participation in the National Conference on Youth (Brasilia)
(2005)
-
Support for the student councils of the Southern region in São Paulo
and the formation of four more student councils in the East of São
Paulo.
- Printed and multi-media resources created to help
professors our parents or principals interested in forming student
councils in other schools.
ESPAÇO CRIANÇA ESPERANÇA (Hope for Children Recreation Space)
DESCRIPTION:
A
project to reform a community center to offer sports, cultural and
leisure activities for children and adolescents in order to complement
their school education and strengthen the sense of community within the
neighborhood.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
(2002 - 2004)
- Construction of a large open space for outdoor movies, concerts and rodeos.
- Construction of a skate park
-
Construction of a Multi-media center complete with equipment for
editing and producing videos, photographs, comic strips, music and
radio programs for the children and adolescents from the community.
-
Diagnosis of how the activities of the recreation center should
function done with parents, employees and children involved in the
project.
- Developed a Plan for Ongoing Education cited in the book
produced by Unicef about the educational model used in the hope for
children recreation spaces all over Brazil.
- Purchase of uniforms,
digital camera, cafeteria cooking utensils, radio and musical
equipment, maintenance and small repairs of the recreation space.
-
United Nations research institution (ILANUD) contracted to study the
characteristics of children and adolescents from the community that
participated in the project.
- More than 70 field trips with
participants including to see concerts, movies, plays, book fairs and
to visit other Hope for Children Recreation Spaces in Brazil.
-
Close to 240 events including cultural workshops, sports training,
community events, and visits from famous musicians and actors.
- Support of other community groups and organizations in order to share the opportunities made available through the project
- Participation in International events such as the International Street Soccer Championship held in Switzerland.
- 1000 books donated to the Hope For Children Recreation Space library
-
Implementation of permanent courses on video production, sound
production, radio production, hip hop, etc. on weekdays and weekends
for young members of the community in the southern zone of São Paulo.
- Creation of a permanent community radio station
OBSERVATÓRIO DE DIREITOS HUMANOS (Human Rights Observatory)
DESCRIPTION:
Pilot
project where young members of the most violent regions of São Paulo
study and discuss human rights and map violations of human rights
taking place in their neighborhoods and create two products: a
community newspaper urging the community to discuss collective problems
they have in common and a official report of their conclusions for the
federal Government in an effort to sensitize the public authorities to
the problems of these communities.
ACHIVEMENTS:
(2002)
- Two editions of the community newspaper LUPA produced
- 1st, 2nd and 3rd editions of the Citizen Report produced
POLÍCIA ESCOLA (Training Police to work in School environments)
DESCRIPTION:
Project
to develop a methodology, didactic recourses and pilot course to train
the police officers who work to ensure security in schools.
AÇÕES:
(2002)
- Methodology to train police officers developed
- 30 police officers trained in pilot course
-
Manual for instructors and manual for participants of the course
produced. The content of this material has been incorporated as part of
the curriculum for police training in the state of São Paulo
PÓLOS DA PAZ (Peace Poles)
DESCRIPTION:
Project
to democratize public spaces and to train groups of adolescents to
consolidate discussion and problem solving through participation and
management of public spaces such as public plazas.
AÇÕES:
(2003)
- Two public plazas in the Southern region of São Paulo selected for the project
- Two groups of adolescents formed to mange the plazas
- Soccer championship organized for the members of the community in one of the plazas.
(2004)
- Two management groups trained through a series of courses
- Plan developed and implemented for reform of the plazas
- Events organized for the communities near the plazas:
* Children’s day and Mother’s day celebrations
* Soccer matches
*
Meeting between the management groups and adolescents
participating in other projects organized by the Instituto Sou da Paz
for sharing experiences
* Visits from a caravan of famous
actors and musicians from other countries such as Israel, France,
Argentina and Palestine
* Workshops for creation of a community radio station.
(2005)
- Final reforms of the plazas selected
- Events organized for the communities:
* Trip to see a play in the theater
* Workshops on graffiti, mosaics, and computer sciences
* Permanent community radio post
* Training of new group of adolescents to maintain the up keeping of the plazas and organize new events
PRÊMIO POLÍCIA CIDADÃ (Police Citizenship Award)
DESCRIPTION:
Project
with the goal of identifying and giving an award for good practices by
the police that succeed in solving problems of public security
effectively, always respecting the law. The project seeks to show
that civil society values these actions and to bring good examples of
positive actions taken by the police into the spotlight.
AÇÕES: (2003)
- First award selection process launched with 119 police projects and 337 police officers competing for the award (2004)
- Prizes awarded to 38 police officers responsible for 6 different projects, honorable mention for 27 officers
- Second selection process launched with 150 projects competing and 557 officer involved
|
ADVICE: What advice would you like to
give to the Secretary-General and the General Assembly to promote a
culture of peace and nonviolence during the second half of the Decade? |
The
United Nations could make significant progress by focusing it’s efforts
on helping to lesson the difficulties presented by the various entities
who have participated in the making of this report. Many of the
organizations listed in this report most likely share some common
difficulties and the support of the United Nations in resolving the
most relevant and urgent issues could help to ensure that the second
half of the decade is even more prosperous than the first.
One
of the most pertinent issues to be addressed in order for us to advance
towards a Culture of Peace is more control of international gun
commerce. Brazil has made huge progress on its gun control laws in
relation to production and sales in the last five years, but this issue
needs to be addressed on the international level. In order for national
laws to be implemented and respected completely, it is essential that
there be a political commitment of all countries to control the guns
exported over their borders. In the same way that governments has
recently become more conscious of controlling trafficking of plants and
animals, governments must similarly control gun commerce and gun
trafficking.
|
PARTNERSHIPS: What partnerships and
networks does your organization participate in, thus strengthening the
global movement for a culture of peace? |
Frente
Desarma Brasil, Comitê Desarma São Paulo, Fórum em Defesa da Paz, Fórum
de Grêmios da Zona Sul, Rede Gandhi, ConPaz, Rede de Monitoramento
Amiga da Criança, Control Arms.
|
PLANS: What new engagements are
planned by your organization to promote a culture of peace and
nonviolence in the second half of the Decade (2005-2010)? |
In
2005, Instituto Sou da Paz has been re-structuring our work in order to
meet the demands of a growing organization and to initiate work in new
areas we consider important. One of these new key areas is the media,
more specifically monitoring the journalistic coverage and the way the
media portrays public security issues and violence.
Another area
that we have just started working with is the area of Municipal
Security Plans. This new area reflects a new mentality of some
municipal governments who have grown to see themselves as protagonists
in the area of violence prevention and are assuming the role that the
municipal government has in this area.
In the areas of gun
control, youth and the Justice and Security Systems, Instituto Sou da
Paz plans to continue working through our present projects.
|
Postal address of organization
|
Name: Instituto Sou da Paz
People to Contact: Denis Mizne and Mariana Montoro Jens
Address: Rua Luís Murat, 260 - Vila Madalena - São Paulo/SP. Cep:
05436-050
City: São Paulo-SP
Country: Brazil
|
E-mail address of organization
|
denis@soudapaz.org
e mariana@soudapaz.org
|
Website address of organization
|
www.soudapaz.org
|
Highest priority action domain of a culture of peace
|
Among all the areas involved in promoting a culture of peace, we consider the following to be our principal areas of domain:
e - Democratic participation
c - Human Rights
a - Education for Peace
|
Second priority action domain of a culture of peace
|
|
Highest priority country of action (or international)
|
Instituto Sou da Paz’s actions are focuses on the regional (within the city of São Paulo), national and international levels.
|
Second priority country of action (or international)
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
