Responsible for important decisions that range from warnings and guidance for families where mistreatment of children has been demonstrated to recommendations to the appropriate agency that family power or parental guardianship be removed, Guardianship Councils are present in 99.89% of the 5,565 Brazilian municipalities. Permanent and autonomous bodies, the Guardianship Councils strive to ensure and defend the rights of children and adolescents within the family and the community in general.
And it is in the community itself that the Guardianship Councils are established. Each municipality should have at least one Guardianship Council composed of five members who are representatives of the community itself, elected by the local population. Depending on its population, a municipality can have more than one council. In São Paulo, for example, there were 52 councils in 2016, including eight new ones in the Capão Redondo, Cidade Líder, Cidade Tiradentes II, Jaraguá, Anhanguera, Sacomã, Tremembé and Vila Curuçá neighborhoods.
To be a councilor one must be at least 21 years of age, have no problems with the courts and be a resident of the corresponding municipality for the Guardianship Council for which one wants to submit his/her candidacy. Members of the same family cannot be elected as councilors of the same body and each representative serves a four-year term and can only be reelected once. Furthermore, the position requires exclusive dedication and it is recommended that candidates have at least completed high school.
Since 2012, the process of selecting guardianship councilors has taken place on a single date throughout the country: always on the first Sunday of October of the year following a presidential election. In 2015, the choice will be made on October 4 and the new terms will begin on January 10, 2016. To participate in the choice of representatives one must be at least 16 years old and have a voter registration card. In this case, voting is not mandatory.
However, although it is optional, the vote to elect Guardianship Council representatives is more than the exercise of a citizen’s right. It is also a commitment by each of us to supporting the Child and Adolescent Statute (ECA) that requires councilors to be responsible for ensuring the protection and healthy development of children and adolescents. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the indication of voting locations in the municipalities and participate. Protecting the rights of children and adolescents is an obligation we all share.
TO LEARN MORE
• ORIENTATION GUIDE – SELECTION PROCESS ON A SINGLE DATE FOR MEMBERS OF GUARDIANSHIP COUNCILS (available for download).
Secretariat of Human Rights service lines:
+55 (61) 2027- 3336/3854 (Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.) conselhotutelar@sdh.gov.br