Potencialidades e limites da educação em direitos humanos no contexto de medida socioeducativa de internação

Abstract

This research aims to explores the purposes, limitations and possibilities of Human Rights Education (HRE), based on the experience of Escola Cidadã Integral Socioeducativa Almirante Saldanha, a public school located within Centro Socioeducativo Edson Mota (CSE)—a juvenile detention facility for adolescents in conflict with the law. The institution is managed by the Brazilian foundation Fundação de Desenvolvimento da Criança e do Adolescente Alice Almeida (FUNDAC) and is situated in João Pessoa, Paraíba. This goal stems from a core problem: how Human Rights Education perspectives have been conceived within the socio-educational system, and how they have been implemented. To address this question, the research explores the relevant legal framework and literature,

such as Brazil’s Statute of the Child and Adolescent (ECA), the National System of Socio- Educational Services (SINASE), and the Law of Guidelines and Bases of National

Education. It also examines the guarantee of the right to education in contexts of deprivation of liberty, as well as educational practices within both the socio-educational unit and the school, through the lens of Human Rights Education principles. The study adopts a qualitative methodology, including document analysis, ten formally authorized visits for observation, conversations with staff and a questionnaire—approved by the Research Ethics Committee—completed by 20 school professionals. Findings show a general recognition of the importance of HRE. However, they also reveal significant gaps in how it is carried out and embedded in the everyday lives of the adolescents. Institutional documents from both the unit and the school reference Human Rights Education in vague, generic terms, and the practices described by professionals are mostly limited to occasional complementary activities. HRE is not approached as a central theme or as a cross-cutting educational strategy. Moreover, there is no structured action plan aimed at making HRE more concrete through integrated efforts between education and socio-education. There is also a notable absence of a continuing education program on human rights for all professionals working within the socio-educational space.