Rousseff stresses government’s efforts to ensure human rights

Criado em 13/12/13 16h33 e atualizado em 16/12/13 11h13
Por Paulo Victor Chagas Fonte:Agência Brasil

Brasília – President Dilma Rousseff attended the Human Rights Awards ceremony held on Wednesday (Dec. 11) during the World Forum on Human Rights. This prize is the highest form of acknowledgment from the Brazilian government to natural persons or companies with an outstanding involvement with the cause.

In her speech, Rousseff declared that the government is turning Brazil into a country where human rights are observed, tolerance is a rule, and the respect for life and its value is the basic and fundamental principle.

“We’ve made a clear commitment with social inclusion, economic inclusion and the inclusion of the civic rights of all Brazilian men and women – above all the poorer and more vulnerable ones,” the president said.

Rousseff went on to say that she is proud of “having rescued two million Brazilians from extreme poverty,” and mentioned the importance of racial quotas – whereby people of African descent are reserved a number of university admission spots – and the enforcement of the right to education as a measure against the sexual exploration of children and adolescents. The president also highlighted that, through the Juventude Viva Program, Brazil is fighting one of its “greatest maladies”: violence against young people, especially those who are black and poor and live on the outskirts of the country’s big cities.

In the president’s view, another reason for pride was the creation of the National Truth Commission, in 2012, in an attempt to investigate human rights violations committed from the 1940’s to 1988, like torture.

Rousseff admitted that torture crimes are still committed in Brazil, in spite of the government’s efforts to change the country’s violence scenario. “I, who was once submitted to torture, know how much it harms the most elementary condition of humanity in a person. The Brazilian State does not and will not tolerate torture inflicted on any of its citizens,” she said.

The president commended all the recipients of the award, which is distributed under 23 categories: “Our winners are people who decided to turn their lives into a bunker for the unrelenting defense of human rights; they’re ordinary people who, by lending their voices to the victims of neglect, exclusion and violence, become well known for their dedication and fight, and for their commitment with the observance of human rights.”

During her speech, several members of the audience expressed their opinion against police brutality and against hosting the 2014 World Cup: “I don’t need the World Cup; I need more rights for health care and education!” they shouted.

Edited by Nira Foster
Translated by Fabrício Ferreira