Children’s council civil society responds to criticism – 11/19/2025 – Panel

Representatives of civil society that make up the National Council for the Rights of Children and Adolescents (Conanda) released this Wednesday (19) a letter in which they defend the strengthening of the body as an instance of the State, and not of government, after the president of the collegiate.

On the 13th, as shown by the Panel, , who held the presidency of Conanda, with a harsh statement in which he stated that the environment was .

The resignation occurred after resolutions generated . The most recent, approved in December, established guidelines to enable legal use in children and adolescents. At the time, Lacerda was vice-president of Conanda, which was led by Marina de Pol Poniwas.

The council, an autonomous body linked to the Ministry of Human Rights, has 28 advisors, 14 of which are from non-governmental entities.

In part, the letter says that civil society reaffirms the “permanent willingness to institutional dialogue, joint construction and strengthening of Conanda as an instance of the State, and not of government, guaranteeing its autonomy, its deliberative function and its constitutional mission”.

“We will continue to collaborate so that children and adolescents are recognized as an absolute priority in all public policies and so that participatory democracy continues to be the basis for guaranteeing rights in Brazil”, he says.

The letter recalls that the collegiate is envisioned as a space for dialogue between government and civil society, which “represents a diversity of organizations, grassroots movements, networks, history of struggles and technical experiences.”

“Democratically elected in their own and autonomous processes, their positions and contributions deserve recognition, as they are the result of transparent internal debates, always guided by national legislation and international human rights treaties ratified by Brazil, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child”, indicates the manifesto.

The representatives say that the construction of consensus, the expression of different positions and disagreements are “natural elements of institutional life and constitute an essential part of the functioning of a plural collegial body”. “Therefore, we reiterate the importance of preserving an environment of dialogue, reciprocal respect and cooperation between all representations”, continues the document.

Civil society also says that, over the last three years, the council has advanced and rebuilt its deliberative capacity. Next, it cites resolutions that deal with combating sexual violence, preventing violations in undue institutionalization in therapeutic communities and protection in the digital environment, among others.

“The advances of the last three years did not occur without opposition and confrontation. Attempts to weaken it, legislative attacks, disinformation campaigns and narratives of moral panic have repeatedly sought to discredit the work of this collegiate”, continues the letter.

“Civil Society, in particular, was the target of unfounded accusations, distortions and political violence that attempted to transform its actions into a source of conflict, when, historically, it has been an instrument for building and strengthening public policies”, he continues.

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