The participation of children and young people in the public life of their country is critical for recognizing and upholding their human rights. In Brazil, youth participation is guided by two key documents; the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which became one of the bases of the political struggle and a source of legitimizing the rights of children in the country, and the Brazil Statute on the Child and the Adolescent of July 1990 (Article 16) [1]. However, despite such clear guidance, youth participation is still subject to debate in Brazil.

Here we consider several reasons why we seek to enlarge the participation of children and youth in the public life of the country, starting with the importance of making political rights universal. When we stimulate young people’s participation, we have greater possibilities of strengthening democratic principles at large. These principles have been questioned in our recent history because of a lack of confidence in our political system. When we introduce civic tools and basic political concepts to the young, it is very possible that they will become responsible citizens who embrace democratic principles (Caballero, 2008). Moreover, offering a channel of participation to children in their formative years can promote profound sentiments of belonging. The young people thereby acquire social roles and instruction participating not just in a process of socialization but also in
building the capacity to engage in reinvent social and political structures (Pavez-Soto, 2012). Another reason for amplifying the participation of children and youth is about their protection in contexts of vulnerability. In explicit conformity to the Inter American Institute of the Child and the Adolescent, part of the Organization of American States, when there is significant participation, there is more space for young people to be active and critical in situations which legitimize the violation of their rights (INN, 2010).

The debate about participation of young people is still comparatively recent and the idea encounters a great deal of resistance. Despite the legal provisions which lay out a mandate for children and youth participation, the implementation of that mandate is a struggle, and in many countries stays in the realm of rhetoric. In many places, there is no effective youth participation. This is due to the fact that decision making processes regarding children’s rights and protection are controlled by adults who often ignore young people’s opinions (Contreras & Pérez, 2011; Cussianovich, 2013; Pavez-Soto, 2012). Young people continue to be silenced and their opinions and recommendations are not included in the processes in which decisions about children and youth rights are taken. In Brazil, even though the federally mandated Children’s and Adolescents’ Rights Councils of the city of Rio (CMDCA-Rio), the State of Rio de Janeiro (CEDCA-Rio) and the National Children’s Rights Council (CONANDA) are all active, there are very few initiatives on participation. Since the passage in 2013, however, of a resolution of CONANDA on participation which requires a seat on the councils to be occupied by a young person, that council has been emphasizing the promotion of the participation of young people in the councils.

The International Center for Research and Policy on Childhood (CIESPI) at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) has joined with the Youth Forum of South Fluminense in Action (FJSA), a youth activist organization in the industrial city of Volta Redonda in the state of Rio, in the Shaping Youth Futures project, with the purpose of advancing the participation agenda. Our goal is to co-create with the Youth Forum strategies to empower young activists and develop channels which connect their demands with the institutional power structures of the state and enable them to influence both policies and their implementation.

References:

Caballero, R. (2008). “El derecho político a la participación y su relación con los derechos de la
infancia”. Tesis de maestría en Ciencias Políticas. México D.F.: Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales.

Contreras, C. G. & Pérez, A. J. (2011). Participación invisible: niñez y prácticas participativas emergentes. Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales, Niñez y Juventud, 2 (9), pp. 811 – 825.

Cussianóvich, A. (2013). Protagonismo, participación y ciudadanía como componente de la educación y ejercicio de los derechos de la infancia. En A. Cussianóvich (Ed). Historia del pensamiento social sobre la infancia. Lima: Universidad Mayor de San Marcos.

Instituto Interamericano Del Niño, La Niña Y Adolescentes – IIN (2010). “La participación de niños, niñas y adolescentes en las Américas”. Disponible en: <http://www.iin.oea.org/pdf-iin/A- 20-anos-de-la-Convencion.pdf>, [Consulta: diciembre de 2014].

Pavez-Soto, I. (2012). “Sociología de la infancia: las niñas y los niños como actores sociales”. Revista de sociología 27: 81102.

Authors: Irene Rizzini (President) and Renata Mena Brasil do Couto (Researcher), International
Center for Research on Policy on Childhood (CIESPI) at the Pontifical Catholic University
of Rio de Janeiro

CIESPI is a university- based research and action organization devoted to children, youth, their families and communities. A major purpose of the Center is the development of policies and practices to strengthen these populations and to promote their rights. For thirty-five years the Center has systematically influenced policies, laws and actions for the children and youth of the country. One of our partner organizations, and the one involved in this project, the Youth Forum of South Fluminense in Action is a space which was created to give young people a place to meet and to discuss together public policies which affect their lives. The group which promotes the protagonism of youth has come to be an active participant in forums and conferences about the rights of children and youth including the Municipal Children’s Rights Council of Volta Redonda (CMDCA-VR) where it is involved in debates about the creation and the implementation of the Municipal Plan for Children and Adolescents.

[1] United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child was first published in 1989 and was ratified by Brazil in September 1990. The right for young persons to participate in decisions that affect their lives is expressed most directly in Article 12: “…a child must have the opportunity to be heard in all judicial or administrative processes which affect him, either directly or indirectly through the intermediation of a representative or an appropriate body, in conformity with the procedural rules of national legislation”.

In Brazil, the Statute on the Child and the Adolescent of July 1990 affirms this right in Article 16 which reads: “the right to liberty includes the following aspects: 1–to come and go and be in public streets and community spaces in accord with legal restrictions; II–opinion and expression; III–belief and religious observance; IV–to play, practice sports, and enjoy oneself; V–participate in family and community life, without discrimination; VI—participate in political life, according to the form of the law; VII—seek shelter, help, and guidance”.