Africa-Press – Angola. The Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Marcy Lopes, considers “ingenious” any person who, with their knowledge and dedication, works for the causes of human dignity and social materialization.The recognition was made during the 3rd Edition of the National Human Rights Award, in which the four winners were distinguished in the categories of “Community and Humanitarian Actions”, “Culture of Peace and Citizenship”, “Personality of the Year in Human Rights” and “Research in Human Rights”.
According to the Minister of Justice and Human Rights, the National Human Rights Award was created because there are people who take their time to work for the good of other people, promoting social well-being.
For this reason alone, Marcy Lopes stressed, the Award exists, which serves as a reason to honour all “people dedicated to the causes of other people”, pointing out as an example the personalities distinguished during the 3rd Edition of the National Human Rights Award.
Of the four awards, the highlight went to the president of the National Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted of Angola (ANCAA), Manuel Quental, winner of the category “Personality of the Year in Human Rights”, having received an award and a check worth 1,500,000.00 kwanzas.
In response to the award, Manuel Quental said he was surprised to learn that he had been recognized for his work on behalf of the visually impaired, a task that was never undertaken with the award in mind, but rather with the aim of promoting the spiritual, emotional and scientific well-being of people.
“I am proud that the work I have been doing for people with visual impairments and others has been recognized, because whenever we do work, it is never with the award in mind. After all, we have been observed without realizing it,” he added.
Despite the success he had during his Law degree at Agostinho Neto University, Manuel Quental said that there were also many difficulties in accessing content appropriate for people with disabilities, especially regarding Angolan legislation.
“In Angola, the difficulties are still immense, starting with the lack of specific materials, namely computers, typewriters, legislation in Braille or in digital format, among other obstacles that contribute to social inclusion,” he lamented.In the “Community and Humanitarian Actions” category, the Prize was awarded to the Nissi Village Project, in the province of Bié, which focuses mainly on children with albinism, promoting self-esteem, as well as improving their academic and professional training.
The project coordinator, Ângela Marques, who received the award and a cheque for 1,000,000.00 kwanzas, said that the prize is “a motivating reason to make hundreds of children dream”, many of whom have no hope of surviving the countless difficulties they face every day. Ângela Marques reported that the project has so far monitored 400 people with albinism.
For the person in charge of the Mabor Multicultural Library in Luanda, winner of the “Culture of Peace and Citizenship” category, the award shows that the objectives, with regard to promoting books and reading among young people in the communities, have had positive results, countering the criminal trend.Ernesto Macuanda said that the project has been producing content that helps children, teenagers and young people to avoid criminal activity, which is considered a major problem in the municipality of Cazenga.
The coordinator stressed that, in addition to promoting reading, the Mabor Multicultural Library in Luanda has been offering a variety of courses, such as IT and teaching English, French and Portuguese, to help children with what has been a major issue in teaching and learning in local communities.
Founded 20 years ago, the project works with 74 children and has already permanently removed 1,623 young people and teenagers from crime in Mabor, a result that motivates and helps to maintain focus on what “the organization’s aspirations are, which is the promotion of knowledge”.
Human Rights Research
The award in the “Human Rights Research” category was given to Flaviano Francisco, a university professor who has been researching Human Trafficking in Angola since 2017, with a view to raising awareness in society about the particularities of the phenomenon.The researcher stated that Angola, in practical terms, is not as bad as other countries, which have the three characteristics of crime, namely reception, corridor and destination, in other words, “we are a country that welcomes victims and also protects them”. Flaviano Francisco stated that the issue of human trafficking is a very complex phenomenon and, although it may not seem like it, one of the most lucrative illicit businesses in the world, after the sale of drugs and weapons, according to data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODOC). Regarding the mechanisms to combat it in Angola, Flaviano Francisco stated that the country has almost all the legal instruments in the Penal Code, as well as ratified international conventions to better combat human trafficking. He also argues that the country should create more mechanisms to raise awareness among citizens, as a way of preventing any criminal activity within families, particularly among girls. The ceremony of the 3rd Edition of the National Human Rights Award was attended by the Minister of State for Social Affairs, Maria do Rosário Bragança, the Attorney General of the Republic, Hélder Pitta Gróz, the Presidents of the Constitutional Court, Laurinda Cardoso, and of the Court of Auditors, Sebastião Gunza, as well as the Vice-President of the National Assembly, Américo Cuononoca, among other political and civil entities.
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