State Department of Social Welfare and Human Rights (SEASDH), in partnership with the Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro, launched the "GiftBox" campaign. Aiming to sensitize and orient the public about the theme, the event was attended by representatives of the Judiciary, the Public Ministry, the International Labor Organization (ILO), and the international NGO Stop the traffic.
The 2014 edition of the GiftBox Movement aimed to warn society about the possible dangers in the World Cup days - when thousands of foreign tourists and Brazilians took over the 12 host cities to participate in the sporting event - since the risks of being victim of human trafficking and sexual exploitation, under the stimulus of professional opportunities for soccer and sports in general may even be greater.
Entities of Human Rights, Justice and Public Prosecution, together with the Catholic Church, celebrated the partnership during a ceremony at Corcovado, where the rector of the Sanctuary of Christ the Redeemer, father Omar Raposo, blessed the initiative in defense of human dignity, remembering the theme of this year's Fraternity Campaign "Brotherhood and Human Trafficking".
For him, leaving the information close to everyone, especially in public places, is crucial to prevent new victims:
"It is noble and worthy for the individual to pursue a good career opportunity. And that right should be respected and encouraged in our society. It is unacceptable that there are criminals who use the good faith of the working people, through illusion and lies, to steal the dignity of those lives. We need to be well informed to avoid being victims of human trafficking", he warned.
The project included the installation of a 9m² physical structure, the "gift box" (GiftBox), in public places, where volunteers address the people interested on the subject. On the outside of the box there are sentences proposing job opportunities, a new life, the possibility of making money - in order to stimulate the public to enter the environment. Once inside, the individual "discovers" that, in fact, it is not a professional opportunity, but that he is facing stories and reports of individuals who, enticed, were placed in a situation of exploitation and became victims of human trafficking.
Until June 8th, near the Corcovado train station in Cosme Velho, the "gift box" will be informing the many visitors who climb to Christ the Redeemer on how the grooming can happen. Later on, it will be taken to other religious sites such as the Church of Our Lady of Peace, in Ipanema, and the Shrine of Our Lady of Penha from France, in Penha. Other points of great movement, like Vila Mimosa, a place of social vulnerability at Praça da Bandeira, will also be contemplated by the work of crime prevention.
The GiftBox Movement, which was created in the UK for the London Olympics and that in Rio de Janeiro is developed by SEASDH, was among the 15 finalists of the "Simone Borges Felipe Award," which honors practices confronting human trafficking all over Brazil.
Credits: ArqRio
