We recently were officially accredited with the Resgata Seal for the Reeducandos Project in Vale das Uvas (Brazil).
The Resgata Seal is an initiative promoted by the National Penitentiary Department (Departamento Penitenciário Nacional) designed to acknowledge companies, public bodies and solidarity economy enterprises that hire prisoners and ex-prisoners from the Penitentiary System, offering them better conditions to be reintegrated into society.
Being certified with the National Seal of Social Responsibility for Work in the Penitentiary System (Selo Nacional de Responsabilidade Social pelo Trabalho no Sistema Prisional) is a tool to stimulate and promote those organisations that contribute to reintegrating these people into the labour market as well as into society.
The Resgata Seal was first introduced in 2017, in which 112 organisations, both private and public, became accredited. Next year, 198 companies got accredited at the ceremony. The number of companies being accredited increased in the 3rd year, when 373 companies got the Resgata Seal due to having fulfilled all the requirements. The 4th year has been redesigned with a focus on innovation, receiving the Resgata Seal for the first time the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) support.
In these 5 years, we have had many people involved in the Reeducandos Project, among them one person who has become a team leader, as well as those who are now staff members or who were temporary staff members.
In order to achieve this distinction, it is necessary to meet the following criteria:
- Provide opportunities to absorb prison and penal system workers, whilst respecting safety regulations and health standards.
- Provide opportunities for the absorption of workers in the penitentiary and penal system, respecting occupational health and safety standards.
- Initiate actions to ensure that working time becomes educational and productive in nature.
- Promoting school or professional training for the prisoners who work.
- Social Security contributions should be encouraged.
- Ensure that staff recruitment takes place in an entirely impartial and fair manner, using objective criteria previously defined.
- Encouraging wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE) and ensuring compliance with safety regulations at work.
- Offer a healthy work environment in line with the worker’s physical conditions; and Not be legally responsible or have been legally convicted of slave labour.
We know the challenges of supporting this project and we take this opportunity also to congratulate all those who work to ensure the success of this programme.
