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Eighth Anniversary of the Law for Culture of Peace in Bahia [Brazil]
an article by Ana Emília Ribeiro, Portal Vermelho
The commemoration of the eight years of Law No. 9.202/2004, which established the 10th of December as the State Day of Culture of Peace with Social Justice, was celebrated on Friday in a special session of the Bahia Legislature. The event also served to mark the founding of nine years ago of IAPAZ, the Institute for Study and Action for Peace with Social Justice.
click on photo to enlarge
The proponent of the special session and the author of the law, Mr Alvaro Gomes (Communist Party of Brazil) noted that the date of the State Day of Culture of Peace was set to coincide with the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, enacted in 1948, which is the document by which the basic human rights were established after the war.
During the session, Alvaro Gomes stated that violence in Brazil can only be reduced by the implementation of public policies that focus on social inclusion. He highlighted the Bolshevik Revolution, "the most important fact of the last century," which, with the implementation of state social welfare, the Soviet Union withdrew from backwardness to development, with the improvement of living conditions of the people, influencing the rest of the world.
A member of the group Torture Never Again, section Bahia, Ana Guedes praised the achievement of the special meeting and recalled the 64 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which Brazil is a signatory. Ana mentioned some measures in pursuit of human rights, such as the recent appointment by Governor Jacques Wagner of the State Truth Commission dedicated to transitional justice.
Antonio Honorato, a major in the Military Police of Bahia stressed the importance of cultivating peace in all social spaces. He noted that the values of human rights, affection, solidarity, respect, tolerance and peace are present in the actions of the police along with their practice, so they can be cultivated with family, friends and neighbors. "We understand what it takes to germinate a culture of peace in the heart of police ."
Iapaz member and popular leader, Ivonete Bispo spoke about the struggles of the institute on the outskirts of the capital as they search to consolidating a culture of social peace and human rights. Also a representative from the office of the State Department of Social Development and the Struggle against Poverty, Maria Moraes, explained that for many years it was believed that the peace could only be achieved
by the distribution of goods and the freedom of speech. "Today we also realize the importance of developing a culture of peace. We need to see our own humanity in the humanity of the other," she said.
The Director of the Union of Medical Doctors of the State of Bahia (Sindimed), Deoclides Cardoso, congratulated Alvaro Gomes for the law which he called "of great social and human value." The doctor criticized the timidity of the press in pursuit of peace. "The press makes us afraid, even watching television at noontime," he said, alluding to the commercial appeal of the stations to the theme of violence. Deoclides praised the position of Brazilian President Dilma to allocate resources to education from the off-shore oil profits. "Long live Iapaz", he concluded.
(Click here for a Portuguese version of this article)
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DISCUSSION
Question(s) related to this article:
The culture of peace at a regional level, Does it have advantages compared to a city level?
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Latest reader comment:
CPNN has often carried articles about establishing a culture of peace at the level of the city, but there are also some advantages to promoting a culture of peace at a somewhat broader regional level.
In particular, the culture of peace needs to be based on a sustainable economy, which, in the long run, should depend on local agricultural production more than imported food. This requires that the unit for the culture of peace include not only the city, but also the agricultural region surrounding it.
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