B3-0446 and 0490/94

Resolution on the murder of children in Brazil

The European Parliament,

A.appalled that the murder of street children and of other minors is still a widespread practice in Brazil,

B.recalling the Candelaria murder of eight street children, aged between 11 and 17, in Rio de Janeiro on 23 July 1993,

C.whereas, according to the latest official statistics available, 328 minors were killed in the state of Rio de Janeiro alone in the first six months of 1993,

D.welcoming the greater efforts made by some state governments, including that of the state of Rio de Janeiro, to deal with the evil,

E.appalled by the evidence that police officers are often responsible for the killing of minors, especially adolescent boys, and that, according to the Federal Parliamentary Commission into the Extermination of Minors in February 1992, the killing of children and adolescents by civil and military police was 'far from exceptional' and the third largest known cause of homicide of children and adolescents,

F.appalled by the persistence of death squads, which often include policemen, known as 'grupos de exterminio' or 'justiceiros' who are hired to murder street children sometimes as young as five years old; whereas these crimes often appear to have a racist connection;

G.appalled by the case of Mr Volmer Nascimento (representative of the National Movement of the Street Children - MNMMRR) who is to appear before the Supreme Court by the end of April, facing a severe sentence as a consequence of accusations following his investigations of senior officials' involvement in the death squads,

H.aware that, according to some estimates, as many as 7 million minors are living on the streets of Brazil, many of them resorting to petty theft to survive and thus being automatically perceived as real or potential criminals,

I.having regard to Article 1 of the Framework Agreement between the European Union and the Federal Republic of Brazil,

J.having regard to the report 'Final Justice: Police and Death Squad Homicides of Adolescents in Brazil' published by the Human Rights Watch/Americas,

K.recalling its former resolutions on the street children in Brazil which have encouraged those Brazilians who struggle against this evil;

1.Declares its solidarity with those courageous Brazilians, such as Mr Volmer Nascimento, who struggle to rid their country of this evil and who are often themselves the victims of violent attacks, and calls on the Supreme Court to drop the charges against Mr Nascimento;

2.Welcomes the efforts made by NGOs, adult individuals and street children themselves to secure their protection and their basic needs;

3.Appeals to the Brazilian Government to introduce federal measures to protect witnesses, to introduce registration and control of private security firms, and to deny bail to those accused of participating in death squads;

4.Stresses in particular the need to protect the 58 child witnesses of the Candelaria massacre;

5.Believes that military police accused of crimes against civilians should be tried in normal criminal courts rather than by special military tribunals;

6.Draws attention to the existing legislation to protect the rights of children and urges the Brazilian public prosecutors to be vigilant in prosecuting official agencies which fail to enforce these laws;

7.Stresses the need for measures to integrate the street children into society, and believes this should be a priority for the EU's aid to Brazil;

8.Urges the EU and its Member States to make clear to the Brazilian authorities their grave concern about the plight of the street children, and reminds the Commission that the fundamental principle of the Framework Agreement for Cooperation between the EC and the Federal Republic of Brazil, namely respect for human rights, has to be guaranteed;

9.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the Organization of American States, the President of the Latin American Parliament, the President of the United States of Brazil, the Presidents of the Senate and House of Representatives of Brazil and to the Government of the State of Rio de Janeiro.