The Young People’s Defenders in Law project, launched by the Ministry of Justice and Public Security during the Youth20 Summit – Youth Festival, in Rio de Janeiro, aims to contribute to the formation of young leaders. They will act as multipliers in the defense, promotion and identification of violations of individual and collective rights in their territories.
“We believe that young people are not only subjects of rights, but also that they can be powerful, leaders and mobilizers in the fight for access to rights in their communities. We want to provide training so that young people can become agents who disseminate the access to justice agenda in Brazil,” highlighted the Secretary of Access to Justice, Sheila Carvalho.
The activities will prioritize community leaders, especially young people with economic and social vulnerability, financial hardship, women, black men and women, traditional peoples and communities, people with disabilities and LGBTQIA+. Among the criteria for preference, young people who participate in social movements or who are linked to popular community courses stand out.
An initial investment of R$15 million will be made to develop the project in six states: Bahia, the Federal District, Pará, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. The actions will take place in the metropolitan regions of the capitals, according to municipalities prioritized by the National Public Security with Citizenship Program (Pronasci).
The project is a partnership between the Secretariat for Access to Justice (Saju), the National Secretariat for Youth (SNJ), the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), the Peregum Institute and Levante Popular da Juventude. The initiative aims to contribute to the training of one thousand young people, who will act as multipliers in the defense, promotion and identification of violations of individual and collective rights in their territories.
