* Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Brazil: Practical Methods for Resolving Disputes
With a population of around 200 million, Brazil is the most populous country in Latin America (http://www.tdh.ch/en/countries/brazil). Terre des hommes (Tdh) has recently signed an agreement with the Brazilian government aimed at implementing a programme for the prevention and resolution of violence in the town of Fortaleza in the state of Ceara.
Dialogue to resolve disputes
“This partnership wishes to directly influence children and adolescents in state schools who, usually due to minor disputes, are forced to leave school and therefore risk a life of delinquency.”, insists Anselmo de Lima, head of the Tdh delegation in Brazil.
12 schools with more than 10,000 students are participating in this project. In these schools, teachers were taught mediation techniques and received practical advice on how to achieve peaceful ends to situations of conflict. They are now able to engage in constructive dialogue with young people in situations of conflict and find direct solutions to disagreements. In so doing, the systematic referral to the justice system is avoided. This role that schools have to play in the prevention of violence has been strengthened by the training of 16 young people who have become mediators who are able to advise their peers. They have become role models and act as a reference for children of their age.
The work of Tdh, recognised and appreciated
The aim of such measures is the creation and promotion of a culture of peaceful dialogue. This project will acts as a benchmark for other state schools. Acknowledged as useful to civil society by the Governor of the State of Ceara last February, Tdh and its employees are pleased with this commendation which is an acknowledgement of both gratitude and their level of expertise.
Terre des hommes brings about positive change to the daily life of more than two million children and their families each year. Learn more about our many projects in Brazil (http://www.tdh.ch/en/countries/brazil).
