Conservatives mobilize to elect guardianship councils

Conservative groups are mobilizing for the election of guardianship councilors, which will take place in all municipalities in the country on October 1st. According to them, the union came as a response to movements that, for years, have been organizing to elect left-wing candidates to a body with a fundamental role in creating and monitoring policies aimed at children and adolescents.

In an attempt to avoid ineffective counselors or, worse, those who raise flags such as the legalization of drugs or gender ideology in schools, the group’s members are working to elect candidates with conservative values. They encouraged the candidacy of conservatives, held “hearings” with current councilors and now encourage friends and family to go to the polls to vote.

Known as Naná, Silvana Botton is an active participant in the group “Tias e tios do Zap”, a group of conservative men and women that has active members in ten Brazilian states. The Curitiba group, with almost 300 members, was guided by the “Mobiliza” movement and organized intensively to influence the elections for the city’s guardianship council.

The “Zap aunts and uncles” made a selection of “pre-candidates” who participated in the process to become an official candidate. Among the requirements, interested parties must have at least three years’ experience in the area of ​​childhood and adolescence and have lived for at least two years in the region in which they wish to work. They also needed to get 60% of the questions correct on a specific knowledge test and present the necessary documentation. In Curitiba, the group nominated 22 people for candidacy.

One-on-one with current advisors

In the hearings held with current counselors, conservative groups tried to discover their position on various topics: civic-military schools, drug legalization, gender ideology in schools, etc. Naná Botton and her colleagues requested meetings to find out how each person performed while occupying the chair.

Naná has never voted in an election for guardianship councilors, but this year she is convinced of the need for “basic work”. “The Brazilian people were asleep, we were ignorant. We thought it was some kind of job that you applied for and it’s not, it’s an election. There are still a lot of people who still don’t know,” she reinforced. She adds that non-compulsory voting makes it difficult for Brazilians to understand the importance of participating.

The perspective is that mobilizations like the one that happened in relation to the guardianship councils will also occur for the election of other public positions such as education and health councils.

Bishops from several dioceses encourage Catholic involvement in elections

Lists with the names of Christian candidates from different municipalities are also circulating in Catholic and Protestant groups on WhatsApp. In addition to raising awareness about choice and encouraging Christians to get involved, the lists recommend some names that will work for children based on Christian ideals.

Bishops from several dioceses wrote letters to parish priests in the region, with the aim of encouraging them to participate in the elections and also making them aware of the Catholic candidates. This was the case of the Archdiocese of Brasília. In the letter sent to parishes, the Cardinal Archbishop of Brasília, Dom Paulo Cezar, encourages “parish priests and parish administrators, mainly, to be close to, get to know and support Catholic candidates, introducing them to the parish community and encouraging the community to participate in this moment upcoming election.”

Guardianship counselors can request actions to suspend family power from the MP

Among the duties of the guardianship councils is to receive reports of situations of violence, such as mistreatment and sexual abuse. The body also has the power to represent against violations of children’s rights in the legal sphere and request actions from the Public Prosecutor’s Office for the loss or suspension of family power.

To vote, simply be up to date with your electoral obligations and present a photo ID or e-ticket at the polling place. It is worth searching online in advance to confirm the address, which may or may not coincide with the voting location for the 2022 elections.