Instituto Sou da Paz is a non-governmental organization* that has worked for over 15 years to reduce levels of violence in Brazil. Our mission is to contribute to putting into practice public policies for security and violence prevention that are efficient and guided by the values of democracy, social justice and human rights.
Violence has multiple causes and manifests itself in many ways. Therefore, there is no single solution; rather, efforts need to respect the specific characteristics of each problem. Starting with diagnoses that allow us to gain deep knowledge of the dynamics of violence, Sou da Paz defends and implements a systemic public safety model – one that includes actions to prevent incidents but also suggests what needs to be done by the public safety and criminal justice systems to respond to these cases.
Currently, Sou da Paz prioritizes the reduction of two forms of violence:
- Homicides, which victimize more than 50 thousand Brazilians every year, the majority of which (78%) are killed with firearms. Over half of these victims are young men.
- Robberies, violent crimes with a high rate of prevalence and distribution in all regions of urban centers and which, therefore, significantly impact people's lives and sense of security. Given their volume, these crimes are responsible for a large part of the efforts by police forces and the criminal justice system in Brazil.
Sou da Paz's working method consists of:
- Knowledge: Identifying the dynamics of violence, carrying out diagnoses on causes, circumstances, actors and impacts, and analyzing public security statistics.
- Innovation: Creating and implementing viable and efficient solutions; and advising governmental instances in their implementation.
- Mobilization: Monitoring public policies and legislative proposals, participating in forums where policies are developed, and informing public opinion through knowledge sharing. Our activities emphasize joint efforts with other civil society organizations, government officials and public security specialists, which, we believe, strengthen our efforts and help us achieve more meaningful results.
* Sou da Paz has the title of OSCIP (Civil Society Organization for the Public Interest), granted by Brazil's Ministry of Justice.
