Movimento Nacional de Meninos e Meninas de Rua, Distrito Federal (Movement of Street Boys and Girls of Brasilia)
The MNMMR-DF serves children in Brasilia and in four satellite cities. Its goal include the “conquest of citizenship” and the “inclusion” of street children, improving ties with families, and dealing with drugs and drug trafficking. They achieve these goals with direct services, recreation, and political organizing.
In addition to work directly with children, MNMMR works with poor families, including those in favelas and homeless-squatter families. They have found this particularly difficult because the city regularly expels squatters from their land, meaning that they must start from scratch again. Such an expulsion recently ended a successful pilot project organizing paper recyclers and getting their children into school.
Rather like Projeto Axé or Travessia, MNMMR-DF attempts to reconcile children with their families, then motivates them to come for activities each day. Because the state provides no direct services, they provide psych and social services for the children; as such, they hope to be a model for future public policies. They also attempt to work with schools to return children to classes -- this is difficult, but they believe it to be one of their most important works.
Recently, MNMMR and Cecria have joined together to work on issues of sexual violence against street girls. This model program uses the organizing techniques of the Movement, but then moves into more psychological issues. Girls work in groups to discuss their own experiences of rape (support), but then work to turn this experience into political power. They produce videos, lobby the government, pressure the police, and encourage schools and community centers to put sexual violence on their curricula.
MNMMR also provides legal help so that children can denounce violations of their human rights. It provides legal defense for children charged with crimes and helps children get ID and deal with compulsory military service (at age 18).
Older children are always present in the office to help with younger children and to participate in the political work of the Movement.
SEPN 506 Bloco C
Subsolo Sala 29
Edificio da Polícia Rodoviária Federal
Asa Norte CEP 70740530
Brasília, DF
Tel: 061 374 1117 or 447 5107
Contact: Eliena Francisca de Barros, mnmmrdf@mndh.org.br
(as of January of 2003, this address did not function)
