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Our hotspots

Brazil: CSEC

We work in direct partnership with civil society, local government and businesses to eradicate commercial sexual exploitation of children.

Key information

Hotspot launch
January 2022
Total investment
$2,035,457
Lives impacted
11,565
Focus areas
  • Commercial sexual exploitation of children
  • Human trafficking

What we do

Commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) in Brazil is a huge and invisible problem. The majority of those who fall victim to CSEC are Afro-Brazilian girls from poor and marginalised communities. Those facing extreme poverty may provide sexual services to afford food, drugs or small amounts of money. The issue is rooted in traditional gender norms, domestic and gender-based violence and high socioeconomic inequality and facilitated by impunity for traffickers, normalisation of CSEC and weak child protection networks.

Our program in the Recife Metropolitan Region of Pernambuco state—Com.Direitos (“With Rights”)—works in direct partnership with frontline civil society organisations, as well as in collaboration with local government and businesses, to drive changes in policy, government performance, public awareness, and attitudes.

Our impact

11,565 Lives impacted

141 Individuals liberated

6,660 Individuals accessing social and legal services

13 Changes in public policy

 

A new generation of leaders

In my street, domestic violence is commonplace. When I came here, I had suffered violence. But people should be able to talk about that, you know? Here they give you the opportunity to say what you’re feeling, or aren’t feeling. That’s why I think the Collective is so important. For teenagers to speak to other teenagers. Change is made generation after generation. And every little seed is worth planting when we reap the results.

Céa is part of the team at Coletivo Mulher Vida, a Freedom Fund partner working to prevent domestic, sexual or sexist violence in the state of Pernambuco.

Our team

Débora Aranha

Senior Program Manager

Ginny Baumann

Senior Program Manager

Luciano Cristovam

Program Advisor, Brazil

Ana Cecília Cuentro

Program Advisor, Brazil

Hannah Elliot

Program Manager

Gabriela Guida

Program Manager, Brazil

Sophie Hicks

Program Manager

Havanna Marques

Financial Manager

Our approach

Policy

Improve policies to confront CSEC

Accountability

Increase coordination to hold the government accountable for their implementation.

Research

Expand the scientific knowledge and amplify survivors’ experiences to better inform policies and programmatic responses.

Protection

Provide support, information, and skills to survivors and vulnerable children.

Social norms

Reduce the social acceptance and demand for commercial sexual exploitation of children

Partners

Strengthen capacity of frontline organizations and survivor groups to collaborate and respond to CSEC.