Curitiba tries to prevent child labor from increasing during World Cup

Social movements in the capital city of Paraná are asking authorities for more attention to a problem that should grow even more severe during the World Cup – child labor. Official data show that Paraná ranks third among Brazil’s states with the highest number of children facing the issue.

Juliana Sabagg, a member of the State Forum for the Eradication of Child Labor, argues that behind the problem lie cultural factors: “Child labor in the South of the country tends to present a higher rate, as it’s culturally accepted. Even today people say things like ‘working is better than [living] on the streets,’ as if there were only two options a child could choose from.”

In central Curitiba, for instance, an indigenous artisan works for around 12 hours a day selling jewelry next to her two children, aging three and five. She claims she knows no one who could take care of them while she is working.

“I bring them with me because there are no day care centers. At the center where I live there are only places for children up to three years old. I’ve got nowhere to take them. If there were room available, I would take them, and ask for someone to pick them up,” she said. She believes sales will rise after the World Cup begins, and that her 5-year-old daughter, who would keep her company, could help her. “She knows how to make little bracelets, she can help me with the sales, she makes good offers and is a good seller,” the mother says.

Self-esteem back on the rise

A number of organizations have worked to improve the living conditions of children and teenagers in the city. A case in point is the NGO Afro Globo, which promotes cultural activities aimed at young people – like African-Brazilian dance classes – in an effort to fight racism and social inequality.

Yuna Rosa, a teacher who attempts to bring back old music styles and cultural roots, says one of the best parts of her job is to work with students’ self-confidence. “Most of them are black, and when they get here they call themselves dark-skinned and wear their hair straight. Later on, they start seeing that being black is not a sin – some of them go as far as to think it’s something to be ashamed of. As their self-confidence builds, they begin to love themselves as they are. Girls start wearing their hair natural, and in braids. They like the way they are; they love it.”

Student Thaynara Silva, 16, says the African-Brazilian dance project changed the perception she had of herself. “I suffered a lot because of my hair, especially at school. Now I say: I’m black, that’s who I am. I’m not ashamed of the color of my skin.”

The Helena Kolodi School is another effort in the city to enforce young people’s right to sport. The public institution offers rhythmic gymnastics classes to approximately 200 girls from 5 to 11 years old. Its infrastructure is far from ideal, and teachers have to organize raffles to make sure the girls take part in the competitions.

The course was created after teacher Robson Marques realized there was no sport which girls could relate to. “The mere fact that they feel interested in doing it bring them here, where they’re protected, doing something healthy. They like taking care of their bodies, their eating habits.”

The girls dream of one day joining an olympic team, and they work hard to achieve this goal – six hours per day, five days a week. If on the one side practicing brings a lot of benefits, on the other, one has to be careful, as too much exercise can be harmful. “They’re children growing up. Insisting on certain repetitive movements may have a negative effect on their development. High-performance training is really aggressive and lead to small bruises or atrophy,” explained physical education teacher Tadeu Monteiro.

One of the girls who attend the rhythmic gymnastics sessions, Maria Eduarda, 9, says it took her four months before she was fully adapted to the training. “At first, it was really painful. Now I’ve got used to it. I used to see the girls from the school team, and I thought: wow! I’ll never be able to do that! And now I can,” she said. Today, she describes her dream in just one sentence: “I’m planning on becoming a great gymnast.”

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira