Equimundo News – 4th Edition

October is the month when Brazil celebrates the Children’s Day, one of the most popular dates in the country. In 2012, the United Nations (UN) declared October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child, an important reference to draw attention to all types of violence, abuse and discrimination endured by girls worldwide.  This year, in the first ever celebration of this day, the UN has focused on the issue of child marriage, since estimates suggest that one in every three women with ages between 20 to 24 years old – around 70 million youth – got married before turning 18. According to the UN, in spite of the fact that this number has decreased in the past 30 years, this is still a pressing issue, mainly in rural areas and in poorer countries.

In this edition of Equimundo News we shed light into the promotion of the rights of children and adolescents by exploring two serious problems in this field: the prevention of sexual exploitation and violence against children and adolescents and the prevention of physical and humiliating punishments.

We interview James Hanfer, from the north-American organization Stop it Now, which works to prevent sexual exploitation and violence against children and present the Carlos’ video, a touching testimony of a Nicaraguan boy who tells his story which involves abuse but first and foremost the overcoming of violence. This edition also includes an article by Márcia Oliveira, the coordinator of the Brazilian campaign Não Bata, Eduque! [Don´t hit, Educate, in English], which explains the relevance of the approval of the law against physical punishment that is under discussion in the Brazilian Congress.

We hope you enjoy reading this issue!