How to protect the childhood of boys and girls in Brazil?

The data is alarming. According to the 2023 Public Security Yearbook, every hour, 6 children or adolescents are victims of sexual violence in Brazil . And this number must be even higher, since only 8.5% of cases are actually reported according to data from IPEA (Institute for Applied Economic Research).

Also according to the Brazilian Public Security Yearbook 2023, 61.4% of rapes committed in Brazil are of minors under 13 years of age; Of this total, 86% of victims are girls. And more: 72.2% of cases of sexual abuse committed against children and adolescents occur at home , with 71.5% of them practiced by family members. In the country, 18% of girls who dropped out of school were due to pregnancy. According to a study by the World Bank, Brazil stops producing US$3.5 billion due to early pregnancy.

This reality needs to be urgently transformed, and requires the engagement of the entire society. A Vibrates, the largest distributor of fuels and lubricants in Brazil, is already doing its part. Committed to the social cause “Combating the Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents”, the company is mobilizing its entire ecosystem to reverse this major problem that is plaguing Brazil.

In May, the month in which the topic is on the national agenda, due to the National Day to Combat Abuse and Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents (May 18th), the company launched the campaign “Zero Sexual Exploitation”, an initiative that seeks to raise awareness among all its audiences about the problem and encourage reports through Dial 100. The company joined forces with several other civil society actors, such as Instituto Liberta, which works to end all sexual violence against children and adolescents , and Childhood Brasil, which has had Vibra as a partner, since 2019, in its “Na Mão Certa” Program, to combat the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents on Brazilian highways, including around gas stations, a significant portion of the points vulnerable.

The idea now is to expand this movement with various awareness, mobilization and advocacy actions with the company's stakeholders, such as resellers, transport companies, drivers, employees, end consumers, opinion makers and other private sector partners to strengthen the fight against this crime. . “Our challenge is to make Brazil see what we see, understand the personal and social consequences of this violence and, from there, build public policies to transform this sad reality”, reinforces Luciana Temer, President Director of Instituto Liberta.

Sexual exploitation on Federal Highways

According to data from the Mapear Project, developed by the Federal Highway Police referring to 2021-2022, there are 9,745 points vulnerable to the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents on federal highways, of which around 3,400 are gas stations. To give visibility to this problem, and draw public attention, Vibra launches a campaign on May 18th at Petrobras stations, with the support of resellers, on media such as television and social networks. In addition, it created a training and training calendar for leaders, employees and multipliers and also raised awareness among partners present at all events and meetings that the company held or participated in this year, such as Vem de Vibra, which brought together its reseller network, the Web Summit, the Stock Car Pro Series stages, among others.

“It is the role of the private sector to mobilize and engage society as a whole in a cause. Vibra wants to be an agent for mobilizing this change, which protects children and adolescents, taking advantage of its presence in various sectors and also for being the only fuel distributor present in all Brazilian states. I personally believe in this cause and I know it is time to build a future that will be transformed by our actions today”, concludes Vibra CEO, Ernesto Pousada.

“Sexual exploitation is a crime and a violation of human rights, a difficult but necessary issue for society to face. Children and adolescents do not 'prostitute' themselves; They are victims and should not be blamed for the violence they suffer. The role of companies is fundamental to disseminate good practices and make efforts to articulate their value chain to expand the circle of protection for children and adolescents”, reinforces Eva Dengler, superintendent of Programs and Business Relations at Childhood Brasil.

In addition to the society engagement campaign, Vibra is supporting social projects in Brazil that work with children and adolescents in order to strengthen the protection network and prevent sexual exploitation, also including spaces for welcoming families, which provides for encouraging the generation income and productive inclusion of families in vulnerable situations. In the North of the country, in Pará, Vibra participates in the Territorial Coalizão Pará Project, an initiative by Childhood Brasil with other companies that will operate in the municipalities of Itaituba, Breves and Barcarena, to structure actions to prevent the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents with a focus on port operations associated with road and waterway cargo transport in the region. In the Northeast, it is supporting the Gente Grande Project, from Instituto Pequeno Nazareno, in Fortaleza (CE), which works to train 300 teenagers in vulnerable situations.