Some 8.7 thousand leprosy patients compensated by government

More than 8.7 thousand people who were compulsorily institutionalized with Hansen's disease between the 1950s and 1980s are now receiving pensions as compensation from the State.

The figures refer to a period ending in September this year, and were made public by the Human Rights Secretariat of the Presidency on Sunday (Nov. 1) during the 8th Brazilian Symposium on Hansen's Disease.

A federal law, in effect since 2007, entitles people who were forced to confinement to a pension worth 1.5 times the minimum wage. Until 1986, these patients were forcibly committed to institutions called leprosaria.

The federal government originally estimated that 4 thousand pension applications of this sort would be filed, but requests eventually totaled 11,963, of which 3,171 were rejected. Maria Eugênia Gallo, of the Human Rights Secretariat, said that some applications were turned down for lack of proof that the applicant was really institutionalized.

The Movement for the Re-Socialization of Persons Affected* with Leprosy (MORHAN) strives to extend pension rights to the children of leprosy patients who were put up for adoption. Thousands of families are believed to have been separated in the process. Thiago Flores, national director of the movement, described the move as crucial redress, but pressing their cause through Congress could be a tough challenge.

“We have made quite some progress getting our rights recognized. Our main challenge is about finance. The barrier to getting our proposal approved is budget,” said Flores. It is estimated that 10 thousand Brazilians are still searching for relatives from whom they were cut off after compulsory confinement of leprosy sufferers.

According to the MORHAN director, fighting prejudice and training health workers for early diagnosis are the main challenges to tackle the disease. Nowadays, it can be treated like any other condition, and the risk of transmission can be eliminated with treatment. According to the Ministry of Health, leprosy is a chronic, infectious disease that affects the skin and peripheral nerves and may lead to serious physical disabilities. In Brazil, 31,064 new cases were diagnosed in 2014.

Translated by Mayra Borges / Fabrício Ferreira