Desvelando o contexto de vida de crianças refugiadas no Espírito Santo: uma abordagem criativa e sensível
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Data
2025-12-12
Autores
Antonio, Suzana
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Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo
Resumo
The migratory crisis is an ancient phenomenon that has recently become one of the main global concerns, leading millions of people to seek better living conditions and protection from political or religious persecution, armed conflicts, natural disasters, and other factors, including family reunification. Children and adolescents face unique challenges when seeking refuge, such as lack of access to essential services, family separation, language barriers, exploitation, violence, and abuse, due to their vulnerability. Therefore, it is essential to understand the life context of these children, considering their multiple dimensions. In this regard, this study aimed to analyze the life context of refugee and asylum-seeking children in Espírito Santo, Brazil, based on their own perceptions, understanding their living conditions, describing their migratory trajectories, and investigating their perspectives about the future. The research was conducted from a historical-cultural perspective, grounded in Lev S. Vygotsky’s contributions to human development and the importance of social and cultural interactions in the constitution of subjects. A qualitative approach was adopted, developed through the Creative and Sensitive Method, using the “Almanaque” dynamic as a strategy to foster children’s expression and the sharing of experiences. The study included ten Venezuelan refugee children living in the state of Espírito Santo. Data were generated between October 2024 and January 2025, after approval by the Research Ethics Committee of this university and conducted in accordance with Resolution No. 466/12 of the National Health Council. Data analysis followed Bardin’s Thematic Content Analysis. The results revealed the life context of refugee children in Espírito Santo, highlighting that learning Portuguese, along with preserving their mother tongue, proved fundamental to fostering belonging and cultural mediation. Experiences related to housing, food, and health reflected dimensions of safety, identity, and care, while school emerged as a space for socialization and learning, although marked by challenges such as prejudice and bullying. Leisure activities, including play, extracurricular practices, and the use of technology, as well as religious practices and interpersonal relationships with family, friends, neighbors, and support networks were found to be essential for coexistence and emotional support. Memories of life in Venezuela and the feeling of “saudade” (longing) revealed the continuity of family and cultural ties maintained across distance. Migratory trajectories were characterized by ruptures, fears, and adaptations, but also by solidarity and reconstruction. Future perspectives expressed dreams and hopes that cross borders, reflecting both the desire to remain in Brazil and to return to Venezuela, while keeping emotional and cultural ties to the country of origin alive. Thus, understanding the life context of these children requires listening to them as active subjects of their own stories. Their narratives reveal processes of re-signifying displacement experiences and reconstructing childhood in a new territory, permeated by challenges, but also by affection, learning, and hope.
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Criança , Refugiados , Migração humana , Saúde pública , Child , Refugees , Human migration , Public health