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Veracel signs agreement with UNICEF to fight the exploitation of children and teenagers in the south of Bahia
Veracel Celulose and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) signed an agreement to implement a project denominated "Territory for the Protection of Children and Teenagers," designed to foster the development of children and fight sexual abuse of children and teenagers along Bahia's Discovery Coast. Its actions will be carried out in the cities of Porto Seguro and Santa Cruz Cabrália and the Coroa Vermelha indigenous village.
The signing ceremony was held with the presence of the Bahia State Labor, Social Assistance and Sports Secretary Eduardo Santos, the Chairman of the Board of Veracel and Stora Enso Latin América, Nils Grafström, the President and CEO of Veracel Celulose, Renato Guéron, and José Afonso Braga, UNICEF's director of Marketing and Institutional Affairs. Also on hand were Veracel directors and representatives of the project's partner organizations.
"Veracel's action is based on a sustainability agenda, with one of its strategic objectives being a strong social commitment to the neighboring communities. We believe that this partnership reflects this, because we are counting upon the know-how of UNICEF, one of the most active organizations in the defense of the continuous improvement of the human condition, and of the action of the Instituto Tribos Jovens (Young Tribes Institute), a non-governmental organization that works with children and teenagers in this region," said Guerón.
According to him, "this is an important initiative that is designed to support the full development of boys and girls as of birth to the age of six as well as to promote the protection of children and teenagers, contributing to a reduction in the rates of sexual abuse and exploitation of children in this region."
The UNICEF partnership is one of the social actions in the field of health and education that Veracel has been running in the region in which it operates. Between 2004 and 2005, the company invested R$ 24 million in 89 social projects in public sanitation, health, education, safety and regional infrastructure.
Preventing and fighting violence
As part of its actions, the project will train 130 persons to carry out activities designed to confront sexual violence. Among them will be counselors for tutelage and legal rights, technicians versed in federal programs such as the Young Agent and Sentinel projects, representatives of indigenous community associations and other organized civil society organizations. They will seek to prevent, combat, help and support victims of violence.
Moreover, 40 indigenous teachers and community agents will be trained to use the Strengthened Brazilian Family kit, educational materials prepared by UNICEF and partners that helps develop the skills of family members in order to educate, protect and care for children from the ages of zero to six. The kit contains information about infant development, including the care to be taken and the stimuli that infants require during the first phase of their lives. The professionals will accompany the health, the growth and the development of children in 3,500 families in the region.
Partnership
With execution to be the responsibility of the Tribos Jovens NGO, the project is in partnership with the Bahia State Labor, Social Assistance and Sports Secretariat (Setras) and also will involve the Municipal Children's and Teenagers' Rights Councils in the region, other civil society organizations, Federal, state and municipal agencies as well as indigenous groups and tourism sector associations. "It is important to emphasize Veracel's efforts on behalf of social responsibility and the partnership that is being implemented with an international organization such as UNICEF to reduce the rate of sexual abuse and help families in the region take better care of their children," said Iane Petrovich, director of Tribos Jovens.
UNICEF's Braga noted the importance of having Veracel as a partner in the project. "UNICEF's mission is to protect and foster the role of children in society. We work through networks, using the talents we find in each region or meet these goals," he said. "We will begin working towards transformation of the region, which could be a expanded into other areas."