CHILD LABOR: REALITY IN POTTERIES IN THE RIVER AJUAÍ COMMUNITY (PARÁ, BRAZIL)

Abstract

Brazil has advanced in the legislation regarding the social protection of children and adolescents, including reference after the approval of the Statute of Children and Adolescents in 1990. However, mistreatment practices still persist, such as child labor in certain high poverty areas. This study presents an analysis of the child labor relations existing in the potteries of the Ajuaí river community, in the municipality of Abaetetuba, state of Pará, Brazil, under the analysis of the basic principles of child and adolescent protection. The research, based on a case study, involved potters and children and adolescents who worked in the potteries. The social vulnerability of families in the Ajuaí River region is one of the causes that favors the practice of a degrading action involving children and adolescents in potteries activities. Physical exertion and insecurity, besides the legal prohibition of child labor, are elements that make the activity an illegal and inhuman practice. The absence of public power with social programs that meets the basic needs of low-income families contributes to the incidence of child labor in the region.