On Wednesday morning (June 11th), the Court of Justice of the State of Tocantins (TJTO) hosted the first meeting of the Human Rights Observatory (ODH-TJTO) for the year. Held in the meeting room of the Court, the meeting marked the beginning of the new work cycle of the group, which discussed guidelines, priorities and partnerships for strengthening public policies for the promotion and defense of human rights in the Judiciary of the state of Tocantins.
The meeting focused on presenting the members and objectives of the group, as well as beginning to plan the actions to be developed throughout the year. In her initial presentation, Maria Clara Rezende highlighted the objectives and the documentary bases of the Observatory that legitimize its institutional work.
Highlights included the Resolution No. 33, of December 11th, 2023, which establishes the public policy for the promotion and defense of human rights in the Judiciary of the state of Tocantins; Ordinance No. 1973, of July 8th, 2024, which creates the Unit for Monitoring and Inspection of Decisions of the Inter-American Human Rights System (UMF/TO); and the Ordinance No. 190, of September 17th, 2020, which established the original working group.
The president of the Observatory, Justice Angela Issa Haonat, highlighted the five priorities defined by the National Council of Justice (CNJ) and which will guide the action plan of the TJTO.
“The objective of the Human Rights Observatory of the Court of Justice of the State of Tocantins is to improve the policies, programs and projects of the Judiciary, because it provides subsidies for the adoption of initiatives that promote human rights within the Justice system," she said.
The justice also emphasized the structuring role of the Observatory in strengthening judicial action on sensitive and urgent issues. The axes mentioned by the justice are: ethnic-racial equity; fundamental rights in the criminal justice system; social, economic and environmental vulnerabilities; rights of women, sexual diversity and gender equality; and childhood and youth.
Articulation and strategic partnerships
According to the justice, the ODH-TJTO will work in conjunction with national and international institutions that work with human rights, especially the General Inspector Affairs of Justice, the Superior School of the Judges of the State of Tocantins (Esmat) and the commissions and programs that exist within the TJTO.
The partnerships aim to integrate the courses and actions of these bodies with the theme of human rights, consolidating transversal and continuous action.
“We're also going to invite people who already work in the area, such as professors, teachers and civil society agents, to contribute as ambassadors for the Observatory, in a proposal similar to that of the CNJ," said Justice Angela.
Composition of the ODH-TJTO
The group is made up of judges, civil servers and representatives from strategic sectors of the Justice System of the state of Tocantins. Its members include auxiliary judges of the Presidency and the General Internal Affairs Department, representatives of the Citizenship Coordination, the Children and Youth Coordination, Esmat and the Strategic Management area.
Presence
The meeting was also attended by the president of the Human Rights Observatory; the assistant judge of the Presidency, Esmar Custódio Vêncio Filho (titular judge), the assistant judge of the CGJUS, Manuel de Faria Reis Neto; Esmat employees, Jadir Alves de Oliveira and João Lucas Gomes Rabelo Aguiar; Strategic Management, Statistics and Projects employee, Karlla Pinto Rodrigues dos Passos; CGJUS Citizenship Coordination employee, Luana Karoline de Lima Paniago Ladeia; and CGJUS Planning and Projects Office employee, Amanda Santa Cruz Melo.
