IOM, the UN Migration Agency, and Brazil’s Federal Public Defender’s Office (DPU, in Portuguese) held a training of trainers on migration law for 31 DPU attorneys from ten Brazilian states.
The training, which took place in Brasilia this week (6-8/06), addressed some of the most pressing issues on the Brazilian migration agenda, including the challenges of implementing the new migration law which entered into force in November 2017. It also addressed topics such as regional migration flows in South America, and the rights of vulnerable migrants such as LGBTI, homeless and indigenous individuals among others.
A module on counter-trafficking, supported by the European Union-sponsored Global Action Against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants (GloACT) was also included in the training.
During the training, IOM presented a handbook that schematizes the 26 most recurrent cases of legal assistance provided by the DPU. The handbook outlines the procedures carried out by DPU’s biggest office specializing in migration, located in São Paulo, and provides a set of basic tools for public attorneys in other parts of Brazil.
The handbook also includes practical information on applications for resident permits; family reunification procedures; the process of requesting Brazilian citizenship; procedures for appealing fines or nullifying wrongfully initiated deportations; and other daily legal problems faced by vulnerable migrants in Brazil.
With the trainings and the handbook, IOM hopes to support the process of expansion and improvement of the services that DPU provides to migrants nationwide, by helping attorneys learn the multiple legal tools available to assist migrants, update their knowledge on domestic and international law, and standardizing procedures for the benefit of the thousands of migrants assisted by DPU yearly.
