Flávia Albuquerque
Reporter - Agência Brasil

São Paulo - A group of human rights organizations has released a report on the situation in 17 juvenile delinquent detention units (Fundação Estadual do Bem-Estar do Menor) (Febem), in Tatuapé in the state of São Paulo. Representatives of the organizations inspected Febem units for the first time following hearings at the Organization of American States (OAS) Interamerican Human Rights Court on November 30 of last year. At that time the OAS court recommended the implementation of eight measures immediately.The main thrust of the court recommendations was to ensure better treatment of Febem inmates and punishment for any abuses.

The human rights organizations report that Febem is not complying with the OAS court rulings. Beatriz Affonso, the head of the office of International Law and Justice Center (Cejil), says the most serious problem is that inmates are not receiving adequate medical care. Affonso says they saw many sick inmates and two that had died. She declared that it was "unacceptable" that two deaths had occurred after the OAS court rulings.

Translation: Allen Bennett