Portugal

Véronique Lerch is an independent human rights consultant specialized in children’s rights. Some of the child rights areas she works on are: Child protection, Alternative care, Child participation, Children on the move, Human Rights mechanisms, Tech and human rights (with a special focus on child rights), and Environment and child rights. Véronique has been teaching child rights in different universities: University of Coimbra, USJ in Beirut (Arab Master in Democratisation and Human Rights) and also supported the professors of the University of Timor Leste to teach about child rights (Faculties of law, medicine and education). She supports organisations on advocacy, communication, policy development, strategy and organisational development.

Sérgio Costa Araújo’s academic training lies at the intersection of management and psychology, later specializing in the fields of social, behavioral, and educational sciences. As a technician, trainer, and leader with a sense of mission, he has held since 2000 various positions in socio-educational intervention in community context (always with a focus on Children’s Human Rights) in urban territories marked by significant vulnerability, notably in the Porto district of Portugal.

In 2006, he became a professor and researcher in public higher education, a position he has held continuously since then, currently holding the status of Expert Professor (“Prof. Especialista”), a title he obtained through a public examination. He has worked for over two decades in international contexts, specifically in Europe. He participates in the organization and scientific boards of several conferences as an “Independent Expert in the field of Children’s Human Rights and Child Poverty.”

His areas of interest and expertise include “Children in Alternative Care”, “Deinstitutionalization of Children and Young People”, “Social Policy” and “Participation Rights”. In 2023, he was elected to the management board of Eurochild, the first Portuguese person elected to this position. He adopts Kant’s assertion, which he likes to quote by heart: theory without practice is empty, practice without theory is blind.

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.

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.

PAJE (Plataforma de Apoio a Jovens Ex-Acolhidos) is the only association which supports care leavers in Portugal. Although the organisation was established only in 2016, they have already helped 206 care-leavers, and intervened with over 100 residential care professionals, promoting good practices and giving them tools to better prepare fostered children for leaving care. Besides providing first-hand support to care leavers, PAJE is also well-known of its importance and capacity of networking and lobbying with decision makers in matters which concern them.

Sónia Rodrigues is a Psychologist and Psychotherapist with a PhD degree from University of Porto. She is Chairman of the Board of the NGO AjudAjudar which promotes and defends children rights in Portugal. She is currently an external researcher at CIPD (Psychology and Development Research Center) from University Lusíada of Porto. She carries out research on the quality of Residential Care for children and young people and other themes related to child protection. Sónia Rodrigues is also supervisor of residential care centres. She actively advocates for deinstitutionalization of children.