Association of Mothers and Friends of Children and Adolescents at Risk (AMAR)

Amar-PE is designed to ensure and widen the involvement of the community and relatives of adolescents while they are subjected to socio-educational measures as a means of social monitoring and fighting against institutional violence within the socio-educational units. The goal is to enforce the provisions of the Statute for Children and Adolescents, increasing the chances of reintegration of youth into society and reducing recidivism rates.
Founded in 1998 in São Paulo, the organization was established in Pernambuco in 2009. Amar carries out activities within and outside socio-educational centers, in the Courts for Children and Youth and in close connection with the beneficiary community.

The main activities are: to monitor the units and the reports of violations of adolescents’ rights; to offer psychological support and guidance to the relatives; and to provide the relatives with legal advice through the establishment of partnerships.

Context

Brazil has advanced laws in the protection of fundamental rights. With regards to children and adolescents, Brazilian laws ensure special protection and absolute priority in the formulation of public policies. However, the reality is still very different and far from what the law says.

Children and adolescents are a group particularly vulnerable to human rights violations regarding violence, poverty and discrimination. Disrespect for rights is even more striking when it comes to adolescents deprived of their liberty for having committed offences. In Brazil the systematic and institutional practice of torture, maltreatment and summary executions persists. The State itself – which should guarantee the rights – is the greatest violator.

Project

The project’s goal is to promote the realization of the rights of children and adolescents at risk in Pernambuco through social monitoring of public policies. The idea is to perform the activities of inspection and support and guidance of mothers, as well as to promote the strengthening of Collective Action. In the latter case the idea is to build and strengthen a network of actions among mothers for the mobilization and monitoring of the situation in socio-educational centers.
In the long term, Amar-PE aims to verify compliance with the provisions of the Statute for Children and Adolescents, so that effective results are reached during the socio-educational process, and therefore, there is a decrease in recidivism rates and the consequent reduction of violence.

The organization estimates that approximately 300 adolescents and their families are direct beneficiaries of this project.