Proposta para implementação de ações de educação financeira na Defensoria Pública do estado do Tocantins como instrumento para prevenção e tratamento do superendividamento

Abstract

This study aims to propose practical solutions for the Public Defender's Office of the State of Tocantins to implement financial education actions as a tool to prevent and treat over- indebtedness, promoting citizenship and human dignity. The study is justified by the relevance of over-indebtedness as a social, economic and legal phenomenon on a global scale that causes social and financial exclusion, widening inequalities, as well as causing negative psychological impacts and instability for the economy. This research is of an applied nature, with a qualitative approach that combines theoretical and empirical research, using an integrative review in the collection of bibliographic and documentary data associated with the application of online questionnaires to examine, at a national level, how the State Ombudsman's Offices have been implementing financial re-education actions to tackle over-indebtedness, using the hypothetical deductive method with descriptive statistical analysis in the interpretation of the data. The results show that the implementation of these actions in the context of the Ombudsman's Offices faces a series of obstacles, including a lack of institutional cooperation, a shortage of financial resources, a shortage of specialized staff and the absence of monitoring and evaluation systems. The study found that few Ombudsman's Offices carry out regular financial education programs, and when they do, they generally rely on strategic partnerships, using a face-to-face format. It was found that although Law No. 14,181/2021 provides for the creation of Conciliation and Mediation Centers to deal with over-indebtedness, these bodies are still infrequent in the State Defender Offices and debt renegotiation by administrative means is not offered by many institutions in the country. To face these challenges, considering the socio-economic peculiarities of the northern region of Brazil, particularly Tocantins, where digital connectivity is limited, especially for the poorest population, we propose the distribution of printed booklets and the offer of face-to-face courses on the basics of financial education as practical solutions. In order to guarantee the feasibility of these actions, this technical report suggests implementing monitoring systems and seeking to raise public funds by strengthening inter-institutional partnerships with public bodies, financial institutions, Non-Governmental Organizations and educational institutions. The conclusion is that effective financial education programs and tackling over-indebtedness, as a multifaceted phenomenon, require coordinated and integrated measures between public authorities, private institutions and civil society, in order to combine legal, economic, social, psychological and pedagogical mechanisms. In order to ensure that this systemic problem is tackled, in accordance with the principle of human dignity, government action needs to transcend its merely regulatory role by implementing public policies and programs that ensure employment, income, financial education and a special debt repayment regime that takes into account the specific vulnerabilities of certain social groups, such as the elderly, people with disabilities, people with chronic illnesses, indigenous people, women and other marginalized segments. These measures are essential not only to curb chronic indebtedness but also to promote equality, eradicate poverty, reduce social inequalities and ensure social justice and effective access to justice.