Brief Considerations about Child abandonment and Teenagers in Brazil and the State Responsability

Abstract

The problem of abandonment of children in Brazil is old, as well as its history. Right in the colonial period, it was possible to notice a great number of children left to themselves in the streets of the biggest cities such as Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and Recife. They were children born to single mothers who were either black, Indian or mestizas, coming from the lower social classes. Since then, the federal, state and municipal governments of the country, as well as some non-governmental organizations, have been looking for ways to eradicate or, at least, alleviate this social problem. The growth of cities, the increase of poverty and the chemical dependency of progenitors are a few factors that have put children and teenagers in situations of risk and vulnerability, gradually pushing them towards social exclusion.