MDHC

The challenges for the construction of the National Plan for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders were presented this Friday (March 10, 2023) to managers of the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship (MDHC), during a meeting with the Brazilian Committee of Human Rights Defenders (CBDDH).

The members of the group expressed concerns about the budget weaknesses suffered by the Programme for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, Communicators and Environmentalists (PPDDH) in recent years. The executive-secretary, Rita Oliveira, informed that in the next few days an inter-ministerial decree will be published to deal with the National Policy on the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, including the creation of a Working Group (WG) with the purpose of elaborating the National Plan for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, Communicators and Environmentalists (PPDDH) and the draft bill as a substitute to PL 4575/2009.

For the executive secretary of the entity Terra de Direitos, and that makes up the Committee, Darci Frigo, having again the possibility of dialogue with the Brazilian State is fundamental. “The previous government left a deconstruction in the area of human rights, so we need to re-establish dialogue. Our initial concern is the budgetary issue, since we know that there are few resources left. In parallel, another concern is that the construction of the national protection policy should have an emergency plan that responds to the demands of the defenders,” said Frago.

Permanent dialogue

“There was an increase in the number of ministries that will think about the agenda. We have also increased social participation and we are already in the revision phase of this document”, said Rita Oliveira.

On occasion, the national secretary of Promotion and Defense of Human Rights, Isadora Brandão, presented the members that will initially compose the WG. “To complement what Secretary Rita told us, the WG foresees the participation of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples; of Racial Equality; of Justice and Public Safety; of Communications; of Environment and Climate Change; of Women; of Cities; of the National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples (Funai); of Agrarian Development, among other representations,” listed the manager.

Through videoconference, the National Human Rights Ombudsman, Bruno Renato Teixeira, made the Office of the Ombudsman available to assist in the debates. “We have every interest and availability to also be in this permanent dialogue, as it represents a resumption of work with the defenders, something that had been lost over this time. Now, we are going to interact again”, concluded the Ombudsman.

The Brazilian Committee of Human Rights Defenders (CBDDH) is an articulation composed by diverse organizations of the civil society and social movements that, since 2004, accompanies the thematic and acts in the protection to defenders of human rights in situations of risk, threat, attack and/or criminalization in result of its militancy.