Abstract
Despite the recognition of the international migrant as a subject of rights by the Brazilian State, under the framework of the new Migration Law and guidance of the Brazilian Federal Constitution, the path to be followed for its full realization runs through public policies and the agency of social work. The health crisis of COVID-19 showed not only the absence of public policies but also the circle of exclusion to which migrants are conditioned as their state of “permanent temporariness.” Access to rights for migrants were suspended as a measure of a state of exception in the face of a state of emergency. On the other hand, the context of the pandemic also revealed social work in Brazil and the agency of civil society organizations in the discursive construction on this new subject of rights and the migratory agenda. The study is based on empirical research carried out in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, which interviewed 42 civil society organizations that provide assistance to migrants and refugees, their performance profile, and the reality experienced by this population in the context of the pandemic. These data support the reflection on the category of subject of rights incorporated in the Migration Law, developed from the theoretical contributions of Sayad, Said, and Fanon about the excluded or absent subject.
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Notes
- 1.
This research was an initiative of the Fórum Permanente de Mobilidade Humana do Rio Grande do Sul – FPMH/RS (Permanent Forum of Human Mobility of Rio Grande do Sul) to support demands addressed to the Public Power in the period of the pandemic and actions to face its impacts on the migrant and refugee population. The research was carried out by researchers Doctor Maria do Carmo Gonçalves, from the Centro Scalabriniano de Estudos Migratórios – CSEM/DF (Scalabrinian Center for Migratory Studies), Post-doctor Giuliana Redin, from MIGRAIDH/Sérgio Vieira de Mello Chair at UFSM and Doctor Patrícia Graziottin Nochang, from the Fórum de Mobilidade Humana de Passo Fundo – FMHPF (Passo Fundo Human Mobility Forum).
- 2.
See Appendix.
- 3.
The National Social Assistance Policy (PNAS) was approved in 2004 and presents the guidelines for the realization of social assistance as a right of citizenship and places it under the responsibility of the State to provide services to people in situations of vulnerability and social risk. It represents a major advance in the field of social work by systematizing and placing under the responsibility of the State actions that were carried out in a fragmented and discontinued manner by governments and civil society. Its principles are the provision of territorialized, decentralized public services, inter-sectorial action with other social policies, social participation, and the right of access to anyone who needs these services due to their condition of vulnerability and social risk.
- 4.
The Unified Social Assistance System (SUAS) is a management model used in Brazil to operationalize the social assistance actions provided for in the National Social Assistance Policy. The system was regulated by the Organic Law on Social Assistance (federal law No. 8742, of December 7, 1993).
- 5.
Given the context of the pandemic (COVID-19), what is the risk level for the institution to have suspended resources or private funds (maintainers or companies) or donations linked to assistance? (question 12 of the form) Only 2, in a group of 42 organizations, responded that there was a high risk for the institution to have public resources suspended in the context of the pandemic, that is, the activities carried out by 95.2% of the organizations do not depend on or have public resources for their activities. For 19% the questioning was not applied, as they did not receive any type of public resource, and for 76.1% this risk was pointed out as none, low, or moderate, which means that their activities are not determined by the receipt of public resources.
- 6.
In 2014, the Brazilian Federal Government, through the Ministry of Justice, took the initiative to debate with civil society the direction of a new National Policy for Migration and Refuge. This process was triggered by the first National Conference on Migration and Refugee (Comigrar), as the last stage of other preparatory conferences, which had the direct participation of immigrants and refugees in Brazil. There were five axes of dialogue: (a) equal treatment and access to services and rights; (b) social, economic, and productive insertion; (c) cultural citizenship and recognition of diversity; (d) addressing rights violations and means of prevention and protection; (e) social and citizen participation, transparency and data (Brasil, 2014).
- 7.
The Article 3 of the Migration Law establishes a list of human rights principles and guidelines to govern “The Brazilian immigration policy,” followed by Article 4, which establishes the content of fundamental rights for migrants (Brasil, 2017).
- 8.
Interministerial Ordinance 120, of March 17, 2020.
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Pastoral do Imigrante de Erechim [Pastoral of the Immigrant of Erechim], Pastoral do Imigrante de Rio Grande [Pastoral of the Immigrant of Rio Grande], Centro Batista de Referência em Ação Social - CEBRAS de Canoas [Baptist Center of Reference in Social Action - CEBRAS in Canoas], Migraidh/Cátedra Sérgio Vieira de Mello UFSM [Migraidh/Sérgio Vieira de Mello Chair UFSM], Centro de Atendimento ao Migrante (CAM) de Caxias do Sul [Center for the Migrants of Caxias do Sul], Projeto Araguaney em Porto Alegre [Araguaney Project in Porto Alegre], Fórum de Mobilidade Humana de Passo Fundo [Human Mobility Forum of Passo Fundo], ADRA SUL de Porto Alegre, GAIRE da UFRGS, Associação dos Haitianos do Rio Grande do Sul [Association of Haitians of Rio Grande do Sul], ELO grupo de Voluntários/GEPEC (Grupo de Estudos de Português, Espanhol e Crioulo) de Porto Alegre [ELO group of Volunteers/GEPEC - Portuguese, Spanish and Creole Study Group], A Igreja de Jesus Cristo dos Santos dos Últimos Dias de Santa Maria, A Igreja de Jesus Cristo dos Santos dos Últimos Dias de Charqueadas [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Charqueadas], A Igreja de Jesus Cristo dos Santos dos Últimos Dias de Viamão [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Viamão], Igreja de Jesus Cristo - Estaca Moinhos de Vento [Church of Jesus Christ - Moinhos de Vento Stake], Núcleo dos LMS São Rafael de Casca [LMS Center São Rafael de Casca], A Igreja de Jesus Cristo dos Santos dos Últimos Dias de Bagé [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Bagé], A Igreja de Jesus Cristo dos Santos dos Últimos Dias de Porto Alegre [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Porto Alegre], Associação Antônio Vieira - Serviço Jesuíta a Migrantes e Refugiados de Porto Alegre [Antônio Vieira Association – Jesuit Service for Migrants and Refugees in Porto Alegre], Cruz Vermelha Brasileira [Brazilian Red Cross], Estaca Partenon IJCSUD [Estaca Partenon IJCSUD], COMIG - Serviço de Acolhida e Orientação ao Migrante de Porto Alegre [COMIG - Reception and Migration Service for Porto Alegre Migrants], Cáritas Brasileira - Regional do Rio Grande do Sul, Comitê Municipal de Atenção ao Migrante de Porto Alegre [Municipal Committee for Attention to Migrants of Porto Alegre], SAJUR Migrações da UPF [SAJUR Migrations of the UPF], Cooperativa Migrantes do Sul de Porto Alegre [Migrant Cooperative in the South of Porto Alegre], Movimento Leigo Scalabriniano de Encantado [Encantado Scalabrinian Lay Movement], Associação do Voluntariado e da Solidariedade de Porto Alegre [Porto Alegre Volunteer and Solidarity Association], Associação dos Senegaleses de Porto Alegre [Porto Alegre Senegalese Association], Associação Senegalesa de Passo Fundo [Senegalese Association of Passo Fundo],Instituto Anglicano Unidade Caxias do Sul [Anglican Institute Caxias do Sul Unit], Arquidiocese de Passo Fundo [Archdiocese of Passo Fundo], Testemunhas de Jeová de Pelotas [Jehovah’s Witnesses of Pelotas], Cáritas Arquidiocesana de Pelotas [Caritas Archdiocesan of Pelotas], Mães Gestantes de Piratini [Pregnant Mothers of Piratini], Gemigra/UCPEL, Associação Senegalês de Pelotas [Senegalese Association of Pelotas], Cáritas Diocesana de Santo Ângelo [Caritas Diocesan of Santo Ângelo], Projeto Haiti da Associação de Imigrantes Haitianos de Santo Ângelo (Projeto de Extensão Interação Linguística Português Francês) [Haiti Project of the Association of Haitian Immigrants of Santo Ângelo - Portuguese French Linguistic Interaction Extension Project] and Cáritas Diocesana de Cruz Alta [Diocesan Caritas of Cruz Alta].
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Redin, G., Gonçalves, M.d.C.d.S. (2022). From the Absence of Public Policies to a State of Emergency: The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Migrant Subject Condition. In: Gonçalves, M.d.C.d.S., Gutwald, R., Kleibl, T., Lutz, R., Noyoo, N., Twikirize, J. (eds) The Coronavirus Crisis and Challenges to Social Development. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84678-7_15
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