WHO, UFPel and Instituto Cidade Segura partner to host seminar on violence prevention and child development
Event organised by UFPel, the Secure City Institute and PAHO/WHO takes place on 23 and 24 June in Porto Alegre, featuring a live stream and free registration.
On 23 and 24 June, the city of Porto Alegre will host a major meeting putting childhood at the very centre of the debate on violence prevention. The seminar “Child Development and Violence Prevention: Evidence and Public Policy Pathways in Brazil” will bring together researchers, public managers, frontline practitioners and civil society representatives to explore scientific evidence, public policies and local experiences developed across different regions of the country.
Registration for both in-person and online participation is entirely free and can be completed via the online form available at https://bit.ly/seminario-desenvolvimento-e-prevencao. The event offers official certification with a total workload of 12 hours.
Organised by the Centre for Research on Human Development and Violence (DOVE), based within the Postgraduate Programme in Epidemiology at the Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel), alongside the Secure City Institute (Instituto Cidade Segura) and the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), in collaboration with PUCRS, the initiative stems from a perspective increasingly backed by science: investing in early childhood development is among the most consistent strategies to break cycles of violence and inequality.
According to the organisers, the meeting has been carefully designed to bridge the gap between academic research and field practice within the Brazilian context. Over a day and a half of activities, the public will be able to follow critical debates on domestic violence, social inequalities, systemic racism, urban environments, parenting, public safety and intersectoral prevention strategies.
Evidence and experience side by side
The event’s programme blends scientific production with concrete insights from public policy implementation. Among the key highlights, Akemi Kamimura, National Professional Officer for PAHO/WHO in Brazil, will present the strategies of INSPIRE—the World Health Organization’s core technical package aimed at ending violence against children and adolescents.
The director of DOVE, Joseph Murray, will share findings from rigorous evaluations of programmes focused on parenting and child protection. In addition, Maíra (Lila) Teixeira, from the Center for the Study of Violence at the University of São Paulo (NEV/USP), will address the structural determinants of violence, including social inequalities, racism and xenophobia. Dandara Ramos, representing the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA) and the scientific committee of the Center for Early Childhood Science (NCPI), will discuss the impacts of public safety policies on early child development.
From national commitment to local implementation
The second day focuses on debates with managers of large-scale public policies implemented in Brazil. Municipalities such as Pelotas (RS), Lajeado (RS) and Niterói (RJ) will showcase their pioneering experiences in implementing integrated violence prevention policies. Furthermore, representatives from the federal and state governments will present initiatives related to Brazil’s National Integrated Early Childhood Policy and share insights on the countrywide implementation of the INSPIRE strategies.
In-person attendance will be limited to 200 places at the Building 11 auditorium on the PUCRS campus. The online broadcast will be open to the global public via the WHO YouTube channel. To ensure broad accessibility, the entire programme will feature translated subtitles in Spanish and English.
PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS
23/06/2026 | Sharin Knowledge and experiences
- MORNING – Understanding the problem: child development, violence and social determinants: Debates on the structural and proximal determinants of violence, recent research data in Brazil, and public health and public safety approaches for full child development, featuring the participation of researchers from the University of São Paulo (USP), the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA) and the Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel).
- AFTERNOON – Prevention and Intervention: Evidence-based strategies throughout development: The afternoon session will feature a presentation on the latest evidence from the WHO’s 7 INSPIRE strategies, led by Akemi Kamimura (National Professional Officer for PAHO/WHO in Brazil), as well as research findings on the impact of parenting programmes in reducing violence.
24/06/2026 | Integration of public policies
- MORNING – Integration and Intersetorial Cooperation: A debate centred on the design and execution of integrated policies across the country. This block will bring together the Ministry of Health and state representatives to discuss the National Integrated Early Childhood Policy and experiences in supporting municipalities for the large-scale implementation of policies and programmes focused on Child Development and Violence Prevention. Municipalities will also present practical cases of implementing integrated violence prevention strategies.
