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A blog from Justica Restaurativa em Debate

The Seminar on Restorative Justice, held by the National Justice Council (CNJ) on Monday and Tuesday (17 and 18/6), was an important step to advance the Judiciary in the application of this modality of conflict resolution and an opportunity to disseminate in society the precepts of a culture of peace instead of the principles of punishment.

The event brought together representatives of almost all state courts and judicial policy makers [emphasis by CPNN] at the Superior Labor Court (TST) in Brasilia in the debate on the current stage of Restorative Justice in the country. In addition, ongoing experiments and the guidelines to be adopted have been presented so that this method of dispute resolution is more intensely employed in Brazilian courts.

The message is optimistic, according to the coordinator of the Restorative Justice Management Committee of the CNJ, counselor Valtércio de Oliveira. “By holding this seminar, I felt that magistrates and servants are motivated to advance in this public policy of Restorative Justice.”

The counselor reported that the majority of the courts of law sent judges and servers to the seminar and that these representatives will be the multipliers of the methodology precepts in the states. “And with the backing of the CNJ,” he said. Valtércio also said that Restorative Justice is a seed that will germinate and grow, gaining more and more supporters.

Restorative Justice is, according to Resolution 225/2016, an “orderly and systemic set of principles, methods, techniques and activities of its own, aimed at raising awareness about relational, institutional and social factors motivating conflicts and violence, and through which conflicts that generate harm, concrete or abstract, are resolved in a structured way. ”

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(Click here for the original article in Portuguese)

Restorative justice, What does it look like in practice?

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With a different approach to the phenomenon of violence, this method of conflict resolution works with the accountability of aggressors and the repair of the damage in a way that allows the recomposition of broken social bonds.

The suggestions presented by seminar participants will support the formulation of a Development Plan to disseminate the practice of Restorative Justice. The idea is that planning becomes a guideline to the courts for applying the practice based on listening to victims and offenders and seeking redress for damages arising from aggression, violence and crime.

In the seminar, magistrates, servants and judicial policy makers highlighted the benefits of restorative justice as a counterpoint to the culture of punishment, especially in a context marked by the increase in crime in the country and an increase in the number of prisoners in the penitentiary system. According to data from CNJ’s National Bank for Prison Monitoring (BNMP), Brazil’s prison population is more than 800,000 inmates.

Workshops

During the morning of Tuesday (18/6), four workshops were held on the following topics: Implementation and structure of the Restorative Justice Policy, Training and improvement, Inter-institutional, inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary system articulation and Implementation of safe and qualified spaces for Restorative Justice.

During the discussions, suggestions were made for the Judiciary, the Council, courts, magistrates and civil servants. The proposals include: conducting research by the CNJ to verify the effectiveness and effectiveness of this methodology of conflict resolution; articulation with the Executive Branch, the Public Ministry, Public Defenders and the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) to disseminate Restorative Justice as an alternative way of combating crime; definition of a specific public policy for the actions of the practice.

Participants also suggested actions to sensitize judges on this modality of dispute settlement, especially criminal magistrates; formation of Restorative Justice nuclei in prisons, schools and communities; and courses for the formation of people with profiles for the practice of Restorative Justice.

 At the end of the meeting, Judge Alexandre Takashima of the Court of Justice of Santa Catarina, who coordinated the debates, said that all the suggestions will be analyzed when the National Plan for Restorative Justice is formulated. The CNJ is expected to hold a public hearing on the subject in the second half of the yer.

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An article from the Heraldo de México (translation by CPNN)

Embajadores de la Paz is a very noble project, whose objective is to add more people to promote and strengthen values, starting from culture, education and human rights.

The need to strengthen the social fabric through actions that allow society to develop in a better way, requires the commitment of all sectors so that, working as a team, we can achieve the much desired peace, said the deputy of the City Congress of Mexico, Rigoberto Salgado Vázquez.

The legislator explained that as part of his work as an elected representative is to generate the necessary conditions so that the residents of Tláhuac can have better tools to improve their quality of life, including respect for their human rights, better coexistence, as well as decent and safe environments and environments.

He pointed out that the objective of strengthening values, citizen empowerment and human rights as basic tools to achieve tranquility and well-being in the community, is to contribute to eradicating violence and to a better life for children and youth.

“We must recognize that there is a problem in the social fabric, which affects young people mainly, and that is why we are contributing to the rescue of spaces and those sectors that need help and better opportunities to improve their quality of life, starting from the Culture of Peace, “said Salgado Vázquez.

The Peace Ambassadors project arises from the need of the inhabitants of Tláhuac to raise their voices and demand from their leaders better living conditions, “where legislators must be the link between the neighbors and the authorities in order to resolve their problems. lawsuits, “acknowledged Salgado Vázquez.

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(Click here for the Spanish version of this article.)

How can culture of peace be developed at the municipal level?

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“We have a responsibility with our community, with the neighbors, with the youth and children of Tláhuac, but it is also important that we join efforts and work as a team, since it requires the participation of all to achieve the objectives set,” he stressed.

The deputy explained that with this model an education will be promoted through workshops, forums, conferences, and thus be able to take the message to the families, communities, towns and colonies of Tláhuac, with the firm conviction of exercising the practice of peace.

“Peace is action, it goes beyond imagining a static moment; It is a series of activities that lead us to a state of well-being, through culture, learning, respect for the environment, as well as various challenges that must be put into practice.

He added that these actions were supported by a 30-hour training for two weeks, where participants developed skills to detect conflicts, alternatives to solve them, exchange ideas, encourage participation and a healthy coexistence for the welfare of the community in Tláhuac.

“It is important to create the links that allow us to reach the whole community, make them participants in decision-making and assume the commitment to contribute to generate better scenarios where a Culture of Peace predominates.”

In addition to this, measures to promote respect for human rights will be put into practice, as well as ensuring equality between women and men, generating opportunities for participation, exchange of ideas, through understanding, tolerance and solidarity.

“We are immersed in a complex social context, where violence takes over our spaces, breaking the tranquility of people, so it is essential to implement actions that allow us to recover and repair the social fabric, mainly in adolescents” added Salgado Vázquez.

The legislator for Tláhuac recalled that the issue is raised in the third article of the Declaration and Program of Action on a Culture of Peace implemented by the United Nations Organization, as a universal right that requires the full attention of governments and legislators.

“We are sure that together we will achieve our objectives, that we will live better and that we will have the peace necessary to develop day by day and be better citizens, more committed, participatory and supportive, generating an identity and taking care of our surroundings, and that this type of actions will be can sign in other scenarios of our city, “he said.

He added that this project aims to forge Ambassadors of Peace to focus their community work in the construction of shared welfare and peace, to generate social capital, especially in the various territories where needed.

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An article from El Diario de Coahuila (translation by CPNN)

With the objective of promoting the Culture of Peace and in compliance with Article 17 of the Political Constitution and the National Law on Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanisms in criminal matters, the State Attorney General Dr. Gerardo Márquez Guevara and the Mayor of Saltillo, Ing. Manolo Jiménez Salinas, have signed a collaboration agreement for “Mediation and Pacification”.

The agreement proides that the State Attorney General’s Office, through the General Directorate of Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanisms (MASC), will rake actions to promote the Culture of Peace by disseminating criminal, community and school mediation, as well as training mediation facilitators in the schools.

The State Attorney General, Gerardo Márquez Guevara, states that peace is fundamental to promote and access human rights, security and justice. The Head of the Office of the Prosecutor reiterated his commitment to carry out activities to promote the peaceful resolution of conflicts and promote the transformation of these through dialogue, empathy, cooperation and resilience.

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(Click here for the Spanish version of this article.)

How can culture of peace be developed at the municipal level?

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“We must promote peacebuilding processes in the school community as a form of crime prevention, encouraging socializing institutions such as schools, families and communities to identify alternative methods and apply mediation in different areas.”

Márquez Guevara pointed out that through the different programs available to the Office of the Prosecutor, girls and boys are made aware of the importance of resolving conflicts in a peaceful and collaborative manner through dialogue. Saltillo will have peacekeeping agents to maintain peace and security so that Human Rights, access to justice and mechanisms of citizen participation can prevail at all times.

Meanwhile, the Municipal President of Saltillo, Manolo Jiménez Salinas, acknowledged the support that the Attorney General’s Office has given the municipality, said that this alliance is a parallel strategy to keep Saltillo safe, with peace and order.

“Through this agreement with the Office of the Prosecutor, we enter a family of neighbors, strengthening our social fabric and preparing mutual support as mediators, to generate consensus and prevent problems from escalating to the point that they must involve the State Power of Attorney.

Also attended the signing of the agreement were Liliana Salinas de Jiménez, Honorary President of DIF Saltillo; Carlos Robles Loustaunau, Secretary of the City Council; Aiko Miyuki Rendón Carreón, Director of the State Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanisms (MASC), and other public officials.

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An article from Informa TVX (translation by CPNN)

The Association for the Development of El Salvador (CRIPDES) and the Research and Specialization Association on Ibero-American Issues (AIETI), have presented the project “Active and Strengthened Citizenship”, with the aim of promoting the culture of peace in 7 municipalities of La Libertad and San Salvador.

Video of the project

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How important is community development for a culture of peace?

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The representative of AIETI, César Apesteguia, said that the project for the culture of peace will last for 2 years, and will have an investment of more than 300 thousand euros.

For its part, the representative of CRIPDES, Ana Martínez, explained that the project will benefit children, young people and women, since they are the most vulnerable sector of the population.

The associations stated that the municipalities where the project will be implemented will be: Tacachico, Comasagua, Colón, Zaragoza, El Paisnal and Guazapa.

Likewise, they emphasized that young people, women and representatives of the ADESCOS will be trained to implement a citizen participation policy, as well as how to enforce their rights.