Children in Brazil

Course Themes

Agency is self-determination, volition, or free will; it is the power of individuals to act independently of the determining constraints of social structure.

Prostitution allows Brazilian children to make their own money and control their own hours, allowing them to dictate their own lives.

Due to the fact that death squads target street children, they are forced to become a separate entity of society.

Diversity refers to the variety of traits, experiences, and cultures of children within and across societies.

The majority of police victims are impoverished male children of African descent. This may be due to the fact that Brazil has the largest African descended population outside of Africa.

Gender diversity is prevalant in the child labor industry. Most girls can find jobs as prostitutes, whereas boys have trouble finding prostitution jobs and resort to manual labor.

Social Structure is any relatively enduring pattern of social arrangements within a particular society, organization, or group.

In regards to education, only children who can afford not to work will attend school.

Private organizations help to provide structure for impoverished street children.

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References
Definition taken from Course Info. System. (Tulane University-Professor Brayfield).
Dimenstein, G. (1991). Brazil: War on Children. London: Latin American Bureau.
Jubilee (1998, October 2). Brazilian Street Children Briefing Paper. http://www.jubileecampaign.demon.co.uk/children/bra9.htm (November 2, 1999).
McGowan, C. & Pessanha, R. (1991). Brazilian Sound. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications.

This page was created by Lindsay Bodack, Stephanie Hunter, Tom Kaufman and Caitlin Kelly as a coloaborative project at Tulane University in the Children and Society class taught by Professor April Brayfield. The purpose of these pages is to educate the public on the plight of poverty stricken children in Brazil. To view other student web pages please visit the Children Around the World web site.
updated December 15, 1999