Africa-Press – Cape verde. The White Ribbon Network, in partnership with the Fogo Destination Project, is promoting a training and capacity-building initiative focused on social inclusion for tourism operators on the island. The initiative began on Monday, the 16th, and will last two days.
It was attended by approximately 30 tourism operators from the island’s three municipalities.
The initiative aims to raise awareness among business owners in the sector about the importance of opening their doors and creating employment opportunities for former prisoners and deported emigrants in their establishments.
Francisco Tavares, the head of the White Ribbon Network on Fogo Island, explained that the main objective of the initiative is to promote a change in mindset among operators, encouraging them to assume “an active role” in the social reintegration of these citizens.
According to him, the organization believes in resocialization, arguing that both former prisoners and deported emigrants deserve a second chance.
Francisco Tavares emphasized that, in cases of recidivism, many former prisoners cite unemployment as the main reason for returning to crime.
“We encounter a lot of recidivism among former prisoners who return to jail because they find no alternatives after serving their sentence,” said Francisco Tavares, who advocated for “greater involvement” from society and the private sector in the reintegration process.
In parallel with this action with tourism operators, the Rede Laço Branco (White Ribbon Network) has been developing continuous work at the Fogo Civil Prison, preparing prisoners for the post-prison period.
The organization also works with communities and families to create an environment conducive to welcoming and reintegrating former prisoners into their places of origin.
With this training, carried out in partnership with the project Destino Fogo – Ecological and Sustainable Development of Tourism and Innovation in the Supply in Fogo, implemented by the Italian non-governmental organization Cospe, the promoters hope to reinforce the social commitment of the tourism sector on the island of Fogo in contributing to a more inclusive society with lower rates of criminal recidivism.
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