According to Rodrigo Gonzalez, a lawyer and children's activist in the southern city of Porto Alegre, police violence against children is down in several areas. Yet even though they know the law, they can choose to ignore it. Then they're going to take the kid away somewhere, beat them up, and then turn them lose because they know that if they turn a beaten child into the courts today that they're going to have problems. Today it's better, partly because there's more of a presence with the kids, more observation by educators who are out on the streets and stay on top of the situation. While violence against the kids has diminished in some places, observers report that in others, such as Rio de Janeiro, it is the same or worse.
Many observers believe the continuing violence reflects a larger social pathology.
This attitude has become rooted in the culture and is difficult to change. As Soares continued her rounds, we passed by several police dragging a handcuffed boy along the sidewalk. I expected her to intervene, but she kept walking. He's over 18. The ECA covers kids until they're 18.