A national social movement that has been working since 2006 to prevent the use of physical and humiliating punishment under the pretext of educating children and adolescents. It was responsible for proposing and promoting the progress of the original legislative proposal that led to the Menino Bernardo Law (13.010/2014).
The Rede Não Bata, Eduque offers courses, workshops, events, and discussion circles to promote positive education and is mainly focused on mobilizing and raising awareness among the population about this issue, which is still widely normalized in Brazilian society.
Its core activities are led by a group of adolescent mobilizers who encourage and exercise the right of children and adolescents to participate. Additionally, it has over 300 members and partner organizations across the country.
National Campaign : promotes social mobilization initiatives and ongoing campaigns, encouraging the principles of positive education and a culture of peace, that contribute to the eradication of physical and humiliating punishment.
Legal Reform and Political Advocacy : promotes a new socio-legal perspective on the practice of physical and humiliating punishment and encourages the establishment of preventive public policies to support families.
Children and Youth Participation : expands child and youth engagement in combating physical and humiliating punishment and in promoting the practice of nonviolent education in their social environments.
[2006]
[where] Fundação Xuxa Meneghel
[whith whom] Save the Children
[2007]
[where] Palácio do Planalto, em Brasília
[whith whom] Children and Adolescents
[2018] - [2013]
[where] Brazil – Nationwide
[whith whom] Civil society and political advocacy with the Executive and Legislative branches
[26 de junho de 2014]
[where] Brazil – Nationwidel
[whith whom] Civil society and political advocacy with the Executive and Legislative branches
[2015] - [2017]
[where] Brazil – Nationwide
[whith whom] Members and partner organizations across the country
[2018]
[where] Brazil – Nationwidel
[whith whom] Members, partner organizations, public figures, and activists, including ambassador Xuxa Meneghel
[2019] - [2021]
[where] Brazil – Nationwide
[whith whom] Adolescent mobilizers, Adolescent Participation Committee (CPA), National Council for the Rights of Children and Adolescents (Conanda), and the State Council for the Defense of Children and Adolescents of Rio de Janeiro (Cedca-RJ)
Rede Não Bata, Eduque expanded the reach of workshops and dialogue circles on positive education, targeting professionals who work directly with families. Adolescent mobilizers have increasingly participated in decision-making and social oversight spaces, such as the Adolescent Participation Committee (CPA) of the National Council for the Rights of Children and Adolescents (Conanda) and the State Council for the Defense of Children and Adolescents of Rio de Janeiro (Cedca-RJ). The group has explored creative potential by developing games and activities, recognizing educommunication as a powerful tool for mobilization. During the pandemic, all network activities were adapted to a remote format.
[2022]
[where] Rio de Janeiro
[whith whom] Members and partner organizations
The Centro de Criação de Imagem Popular (Cecip) assumes the executive secretariat of Rede Não Bata, Eduque.
[2022]
[where] Brazil – Nationwide
[whith whom] Members, partner organizations, families, and professionals in Education, Health, Law, and Social Assistance
The Lei Menino Bernardo Handbook is launched to be distributed among families and professionals in Education, Health, Law, and Social Assistance. Access it here
[2022]
[where] Brazil – Nationwide
[whith whom] Mobilizers of Rede Não Bata, Eduque
The mobilizers launch the publication “Invitation to Participation: Those Who Tell the Story Are the Ones Who Make History.”. Access it here
[2023]
[where] Rede Não Bata, Eduque’s YouTube Channe
[whith whom] Mobilizers of Rede Não Bata, Eduque and guests
The programs “De Jovem pra Jovem” and “Conversa entre Gerações” are launched as an educommunication initiative led by the mobilizers. Available on Rede Não Bata, Eduque’s YouTube channel. Access here
[2023]
[where] Latin America – in-person and virtual meetings
[whith whom] Mobilizers from PASC (Civil Society Strengthening Program) institutions of Save the Children in Latin America
The "Participa" project begins, aiming to share participatory methodologies with adolescent mobilizers and adults interested in participation. Access here
[2024]
[where] Rede Não Bata, Eduque YouTube Channel
[whith whom] Network mobilizers and guests
In the 'De Jovem pra Jovem' program, the network mobilizers interview children and adolescents. Meanwhile, in 'Conversa entre Gerações,' adults are invited to discuss the system for ensuring the rights of children and adolescents. Access here
[2024]
[where] Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo
[whith whom] Cedeca RJ and the National Secretariat for the Rights of Children and Adolescents
Beginning of the “Criança e Direitos - Prevention of Violence in Early Childhood” project, a partnership between Rede Não Bata, Eduque, Cecip, Cedeca RJ, and the National Secretariat for the Rights of Children and Adolescents.
STRENGTHENING INTERSECTORAL WORK
Over nearly two decades of work, the Rede Não Bata, Eduque (Don't Hit, Educate Network), in addition to its programmatic actions for violence prevention as mandated by the Menino Bernardo Law (13.010/2014), has developed collaborative initiatives that reinforce the importance of intersectorality at a national level.
These methodologies include:
• National Campaigns • Policy Advocacy • Activities focused on children’s and adolescents’ right to participation • Continuing education for professionals in the System for the Guarantee of the Rights of Children and Adolescents • Work with families, including adult guardians, children, and adolescents.
Within the youth participation, methodologies developed with adolescent mobilizers include the creation of audiovisual materials, such as the programs De Jovem pra Jovem (From Youth to Youth) and Conversa entre Gerações (Conversation Between Generations), dialogue circles on violence-free education, and the production of interactive games that encourage diverse audiences to think about strategies for positive education.
In this context of partnerships that contribute to intersectoral work, the following bodies and organizations that the Rede Não Bata, Eduque has collaborated with are highlighted:
CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS and MOVEMENTS
• Andi - Comunicação e Direitos (Communication and Rights) • Associação de Conselheiros Tutelares do Estado do Rio de Janeiro - Acterj (Association of Guardianship Counselors of the State of Rio de Janeiro) • Associação Nacional dos Centros de Defesa da Criança e do Adolescente - Anced (National Association of Centers for the Defense of Children and Adolescents) • Associação Paulista de Conselheiros e Ex-Conselheiros Tutelares - APCT (São Paulo Association of Current and Former Guardianship Counselors) • Coalizão Brasileira Pelo Fim da Violência contra Crianças e Adolescentes (Brazilian Coalition for the End of Violence Against Children and Adolescents) • Rede Nacional Primeira Infância (National Early Childhood Network).
SECRETARIATS
• Municipal Secretariats of Social Assistance - Rio de Janeiro (RJ)/São Gonçalo (RJ)/Goiânia (GO)/São Pedro da Aldeia (RJ) • Rede de Adolescentes Promotores de Saúde - RAP da Saúde - Secretaria Municipal de Saúde Rio de Janeiro (Network of Adolescent Health Promoters - Municipal Health Secretariat of Rio de Janeiro) • Secretaria Municipal de Saúde de Goiânia (Municipal Health Secretariat of Goiânia State) • Programa Saúde na Escola - PSE - Secretaria Estadual de Saúde do Rio de Janeiro (Health in School Program - State Health Secretariat of Rio de Janeiro) • Municipal Secretariats of Education - Rio de Janeiro/Caxias/Niterói (RJ) • Secretaria Nacional dos Direitos da Criança e do Adolescente - SNDCA (National Secretariat for the Rights of Children and Adolescents)
RIGHTS COUNCILS
• Conselho Estadual de Defesa da Criança e Adolescente do Rio de Janeiro - Cedca-RJ (State Council for the Defense of Children and Adolescents of Rio de Janeiro) - Rede Não Bata, Eduque is a councilor representing civil society • Conselho Municipal dos Direitos da Criança e Adolescente - CMDCA-Rio (Municipal Council for the Rights of Children and Adolescents) - actions to strengthen the Plano Municipal Primeira Infância (Municipal Early Childhood Plan) • Municipal Councils for the Rights of Children and Adolescents of Teresina (PI) | Codó (MA) | Petrópolis (RJ) | Tubarão | Forquilhinha (SC) | Siderópolis (SC) | Goiânia (GO) | Campo Alegre (SC) | São Sebastião do Alto (RJ) | União dos Palmares (AL)
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
• Frente Parlamentar Mista de Promoção e Proteção dos Direitos de Criança e Adolescente (Joint Parliamentary Front for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Children and Adolescents) • Frente Parlamentar da Primeira Infância (Parliamentary Front for Early Childhood)
JUDICIAL BRANCH
• Tribunal de Justiça do Estado do Rio de Janeiro - TJRJ (Rio de Janeiro State Court of Justice)
ACCESS to JUSTICE
• Defensoria Pública do Estado do Rio de Janeiro - DPERJ (Public Defender's Office of the State of Rio de Janeiro)
DIALOGUES with the HEALTH SECTOR
ADVOCACY in BRAZIL and LATIN AMERICA
In October 2024, the Rede Não Bata, Eduque, together with other partners of the Programa de Apoio à Sociedade Civil - PASC (Civil Society Support Program), conducted a consultation on sexual and reproductive health with adolescents in Brazil. The same consultation was carried out with youth participants in eight countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
As a follow-up to this experience and influenced by this reflection and research, we developed the 26 de Junho - Dia Nacional pela Educação sem Violência de 2025 (June 26th Campaign - National Day for Violence-Free Education 2025), with the theme O que digo importa – prevenção da violência sexual contra crianças e adolescentes (What I Say Matters - prevention of sexual violence against children and adolescent). This also motivated us to update the PARTICIPA web page with gender and race issues.
In the context of international coordination, adolescent mobilizers from the Rede Não Bata, Eduque participated in a meeting in Panama in December 2024, which launched the Mitos en Juego (Myths at Play) campaign and the gender training Voces Diversas - Adolescencias construyendo miradas interseccionales desde el sur (Diverse Voices - Adolescents building intersectional perspectives from the south), The results were presented during the week of the XVI Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2025, in Mexico, which had the theme: Transformations in the political, economic, social, cultural, and environmental spheres to advance a care society and gender equality.
HEALTH IN SCHOOL PROGRAM
Lina and Daniel, mobilizers from the Rede Não Bata, Eduque, participated in the debate “Adolescente presente! Ouvindo quem interessa” (Adolescents Present! Listening to Who Matters), at an event promoted by the Health in School Program in August 2025 in Rio de Janeiro.
INTERNATIONAL COORDINATION
Representing the Rede Não Bata, Eduque at meetings in Panama in 2024 and Mexico in 2025 were the adolescent mobilizer Luiza, the coordinator Soraia Melo, and Bárbara Silvestre, the mobilizers' advisor.
TRAINING OF MOBILIZERS and YOUTUBE CHANNEL
TRAINING OF MOBILIZERS : the participation of children and adolescents is a key pillar of Rede Não Bata, Eduque’s initiatives. Since 2023, the network has included a diverse group of eight mobilizers aged 12 to 18. The educommunication activities within the group of mobilizers have been focused on the themes addressed by Rede Não Bata, Eduque and include participation in decision-making spaces, training in educommunication, which contributes to the recording of programs for the YouTube Communication Channel. The activities take place at the Calouste Gulbenkian Arts Center, with occasional outings for external activities such as visits to cultural spaces, exchanges with other adolescents in schools, and small interventions in urban spaces.
YOUTUBE CHANNEL : created in 2023 with the goal of scaling up and building a collection of awareness materials and content focused on defending the human rights of children and adolescents, we launched the production of videos for our YouTube Channel. We produce two programs, presented by adolescent mobilizers alongside a mentor, who work within the child and adolescent participation initiative. These programs are:
🤍 De Jovem pra Jovem - A space for dialogue among adolescents from different parts of Brazil about topics that impact their lives and relate to children's and adolescents' rights;
🤍 Conversa entre Gerações - Hosts interviews with professionals and authorities working within the Child and Adolescent Rights Protection System. The program is designed to facilitate clear and approachable conversations with the general public, explaining the role of each person in guaranteeing rights, discussing challenges, clarifying doubts, raising awareness, and promoting greater child and adolescent participation. Nonviolent Education (correiobraziliense.com.br)
PARTICIPA Join and Mobilize
PARTICIPA is a systematization of participatory activities and methodologies developed by institutions from Latin America and the Caribbean that are part of the Civil Society Strengthening Program (PASC).
The initiative seeks to strengthen the right of children and adolescents to participate in all spaces to which they are entitled, inspire groups around the world, and engage in dialogue with policies related to the environment, gender equity, and ethnic-racial issues.
Click here to access
CRIANÇA E DIREITOS (Child and Rights) PROJECT PREVENTING VIOLENCE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD
Implemented between May 2024 and April 2025, this project aims to promote violence prevention initiatives, particularly within the family environment of children aged 0 to 6, through workshops focused on legislation for professionals in the care network and stakeholders in the Child and Adolescent Rights Protection System.These activities address the importance of Early Childhood Plans from the perspective of promoting, protecting, and monitoring violence prevention efforts across the four southeastern states, through their capitals..
The initiative also includes direct violence prevention actions in the city of Rio de Janeiro, particularly in the regions of Centro, Grande Pavuna, and the West Zone of the state.Throughout the entire project period, efforts will be made to raise awareness about the 10th anniversary of the Menino Bernardo Law.
