signed by the state government. The Committee meets regularly every month. 162.In 2001, civil society in the state of Espírito Santo established a committee on combating torture, which meets monthly. On 13 December 2004, the state government formally established the State Covenant on the Eradication of the Crimes of Torture, and adhered to the PAIPCT on 13 March 2006. B.Mechanism for preventing and combating torture 163.On 3 October 2011, the President of Brazil sent Bill (PL) no. 2442/11 to the National Congress on the establishment of the National System for Preventing and Combating Torture (SNPCT) and of the National Mechanism for Preventing and Combating Torture (MNPCT) 164.In Congress, PL no.2 442/2011 was annexed to other Bills that were already under consideration so that it could be discussed more expeditiously by the plenary. It is now being considered on a priority basis by the Chamber of Deputies. 165.The establishment of the SNPCT has been a priority in the area of human rights since 2007, with Brazil’s ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture. This priority has been reiterated under the National Human Rights Program (PNDH-3) in 2009. To draft the Bill, the Secretariat for Human Rights held meetings with the National Committee on Preventing and Combating Torture and participated in discussions at the United Nations and Mercosur. 166.It should also be noted that the Bill is consistent with the requirements of independence, effectiveness, efficacy, and politically feasible cooperation among different institutions that have competence and attributions related to the subject. The principles and norms of the Brazilian legislation are preserved, and, in view of the issue’s special nature, there is a specific discipline pertaining to its independence and operation, and autonomy in the discharge of functions, as well as in reference to the appointment and destitution of members; in this way, the openness, transparence, and inclusion suggested in SPT recommendation are ensured. 167.In general, the establishment of the National System for Preventing and Combating Torture will be a step ahead and will strengthen the prevention and combat against torture, by the coordination and cooperation of public and private agencies and entities with legal or statutory attributions for monitoring, supervising, and controlling the establishments and units that house persons deprived of liberty, or for promoting the defense of the human rights of such persons, by permitting the exchange of information and of good practices. Another significant aspect is that it will guarantee the technical, financial, and administrative support required to the operation of the SNPCT, the CNPCT, and the MNPCT in every state. 168.Three states have already established their own mechanisms, including Rio de Janeiro. The State Mechanism for Preventing and Combating Torture was established under the same legislation that set up the State Committee, i.e., Law 5778 of 30 June 2010, and is administratively subordinated to the Legislative Assembly of the State of Rio de Janeiro. Its members, elected for a four-year term, with the possibility of reelection, took office in July 2011 and have met weekly since. So far, about 60 visits have been made to facilities where there is deprivation of liberty. 169.The state of Espírito Santo has an agency that functions similarly to a state mechanism. In 2011, under Normative Series no. 2/2011, the Espírito Santo Court of Justice, the Espírito Santo State Government, the Espírito Santo Attorney General, and the Bar Association established a State Commission on Preventing and Combating Torture, subordinated to the Espírito Santo Court of Justice. C.The national Human Rights OmbudsmanOffice 170.The Brazilian State has available one key instrument for addressing issues related to the mechanisms for reporting human rights violations: the National Human Rights Ombudsman Office . 171.The Human Rights Ombudsman Office is competent for receiving, analyzing, and processing reports of human rights violations; for disseminating information and orientation about actions, programmes, campaigns, rights, and care services, protection, defense, and for establishing accountability in regard to human rights services at the federal, state, and municipal levels. The active channel for dialogue with civil society for receiving denunciations and for disseminating information is the Disque Direitos Humanos [Dial Human Rights] Call Center: Disque 100. The service operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Calls are free of charge and may be made from anywhere in the country. 172.Implementation of the actions follows processing channels coordinated by the protection and accountability networks, which must attend to victims of violation, wherever violation occurs. A single tool is used by the Ombudsman Office, namely, the Care and Management Computerized System, developed on a free platform, SIMEC – Disque 100 - Direitos Humanos. This tool organizes systematically the specificities inherent to the vulnerable social groups attended to, as well as the different forms of receiving reports, the violations reported, and the final recipients of the reports. 173.It must be also highlighted the work of the National Ombudsman Office for the development of social indicators about institutional violence from the received complaints and information. Between 1 January 2011 and 25 June 2012, the National Human Rights Ombudsman Officereceived 1,694 reports of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, and Degrading Treatment.The federal entities that received more complaints in absolute numbers were São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Pernambuco e Rio de Janeiro. On the other side, Distrito Federal and the states of Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul and Pernambuco received more complaints per each 100 thousand inhabitants. 174.Implementation of SIMEC – Disque 100 – Disque Direitos Humanos ensures the adoption of mechanisms for monitoring reports along the entire investigation process. The technological apparatus allows speedy access to information on claims and ensures that in loco monitoring actions are more effective, as they direct interventions and inspections straight to where violations have not yet