15 year-old is killed in Socioeducative Unit in Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro, 7 March 2015. The World Organization Against Torture(OMCT) and Justiça Global (JG) express deep concern over the death of a 15 yearold child at the Escola João LuizAlves in the city of Rio de Janeiro on March 6, 2015.

According to the informationreceived, the 15 year old was beaten to death by 4 other juveniles in the samecell at the Escola João Luiz Alves. Only two days before the killing the OMCTand JG, together with the Local Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture, thePublic Defender’s office, and a member of the United Nations Subcommittee forthe Prevention of Torture (SPT), visited detention units for juveniles of theDepartment of Socioeducative Actions (DEGASE) at Rio de Janeiro and manifested theirconcerns to the authorities about the precarious conditions of detention andthe action taken by the authorities to tackle the climate of violence.

“Thistragic death does not come at a surprise. There have been no improvements afterthe SPT visit in 2011. On the contrary, the conditions have been aggravated dueto the overpopulation and the abuse of detention without adequate guaranteesand subsequent judicial control “ .Said Emio Gines, member of the SPTinvited by OMCT for this mission.

During the visits in the juveniledetention centres serious problems were noted, including overpopulation;allegations of institutional violence; lack of female staff; the abuse ofdeprivation of liberty for not violent crimes; and children being in preventivedetention for longer periods than prescribed by law.

“Thedeaths in the socio-educative centres in Rio are inadmissible within theframework of rule of law, but unfortunately they do not come as a surprise tous. Everything that we saw and heard this week reflects a Socio-educativeSystem that only exists in paper. The reality that we saw are filthy andovercrowded centers, with insufficiently trained staff operating underprecarious work conditions; paving the way for generalized practices ofviolence. There is little possibility of reintegration within such conditions.” SaidCarolina Bárbara, coordinator of child rights activities at the OMCT.

The OMCT mission in Brazil assessedthe implementation of the 2011 recommendations of the UN Subcommittee for thePrevention of Torture for the Juvenile Justice System or Socioeducative System,as it is called in Brazil. During the visit to the country OMCT representativesmet with judges, public prosecutors, public defenders, State representatives; agroup of mothers of children that have been deprived of liberty within thecenters of DEGASE; the DEGASE syndicate, councils of the rights of the child,and the social work and psychology council.

“Unfortunatelythis is not an isolated case. The situation of the socio-educative system inRio is of extreme seriousness and demands articulate actions of the publicpower when facing the massive and indiscriminate use of deprivation of libertyand the inhumane conditions in which we find the childrenat the ‘internment units’. Said Isabel Lima, from Justica Global.

The OMCT and JG urge Brazil, andespecially the government of the state of Rio, to adopt with urgency, accordingwith its international obligation concrete actions to protect the life andphysical integrity of all the children under its custody, including throughdiligent investigations to verify possible action or omission of the state inthe present case.

ContactInformation:

InSwitzerland- OMCT, Carolina Barbara, Tel. +41 (0) 22 809 49 39, E-mail: cb@omct.org

InRio de Janeiro- Justiça Global, Isabel Lima, Tel. +552125442320, E-mail: isabel.lima@global.org.br

.+552125442320, E-mail: isabel.lima@global.org.br