Portugal

Sergio Araújo is a teacher at the Psychology department of the Escola Superior de Educaçao do Instituto Politecnico do Porto (Superior School of Education from the Porto Polithecnic Institute) and coordinates an anti-poverty programme in Gaia.

Marta Santos Pais was appointed as Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children (SRSG) on May 1st 2009 and took up her position on September 1st, 2009. As a high level global independent advocate, Marta Santos Pais promotes the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against children in all settings  including online and offline, the justice setting, in the home, in institutional care, in schools, in the workplace and in the community. She acts as a bridge builder in all regions and across sectors and settings where violence against children may occur.

The Department “SOS Criança” of the Instituto de Apoio à Criança aims at giving voice to children, youth and families for promoting and defending their rights. Its objectives are to promote and defend the rights of the child and the social integration of child and family, as well to sensitize community structures and society in general to the problem of children and youth. The Department “SOS Criança” ensures children and youth the right to speak and protection from risk and/or mistreatment when deprived of affection, isolated, abandoned, threatened with physical assault, neglected or forced to work prematurely.

Since 1951 the Nossa Senhora do Bom Sucesso Foundation (FNSBS)’s mission has been to promote health and human development. FNSBS provides special care to child and maternal health, ensuring a service of excellence regardless of the patients’ socio-economic status. Their approach includes regular health screenings enabling early detection and diagnosis of abnormalities as well as the monitoring and treatment of most cases of identified diseases. It also includes health education activities. FNSBS aims to invest in childhood and adolescence as a way of constructing a healthier and more sustainable society.

Odete Severino Soares is a Senior Social Policy Adviser in the Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security in Portugal, and an expert human and children rights. Currently, she is a PhD candidate in Law in Nova School of Law in Lisbon, and co-responsible for the preparation of the 1^st Master in Advanced Studies in Children’s Rights beginning in 2021 with Nova Law School.

She has extensive experience and knowledge regarding children’s rights from her work as Director of Department of the International Relations and Cooperation in the Council of Europe, United Nations and European Union. From 2008 to 2015, she was co-responsible for the economic, social and cultural rights and International cooperation training programmes for the professionals in the Ministry, National Human Rights Commission Members and NGO.

From 2016 and 2019, she was Vice-President of the National Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Children and Young People Rights, and in this capacity, she coordinated the Portuguese National Strategy for Children Rights proposal.

She was responsible for launching and carrying out an innovative project related to the reinforcement of promotion and protection systems on Children`s Rights in the countries from Portuguese-speaking African Countries and East Timor.

Currently, she has a public and independent contribution in the Portuguese written press that constitutes an important input in supplying information and increase public investment on children’s rights in Portugal.