I NTRAFAMI LY VI OLENCE AND JUSTI CE
Eliana Mendes de Souza Teix eir a Roque1
Mar ia das Gr aças Car v alho Fer r iani2 Mar t a Angélica I ossi Silv a3
Roq u e EMST, Fer r ian i MGC, Silv a MAI . I n t raf am ily v iolen ce an d j u st ice. Rev Lat in o- am En f er m ag em 2 0 0 8 set em br o- ou t u br o; 1 6 ( 5 ) : 9 0 8 - 1 4 .
This st udy aim ed t o analyze t he st ruct ural, developm ent al and funct ional dim ensions of fam ilies in sit uat ions of v iolence, under j udicial int er v ent ion in t he cit y of São Paulo, SP, Br azil. The t heor et ical r efer ence ut ilized w as cent er ed on t he per spect iv e of t he ecological cont ex t of hum an dev elopm ent . A qualit at iv e m et hodology w as adopt ed. Dat a collect ion w as const it ut ed in t he analysis of t he j udicial law suit s, census m aps, sem i- st r uct ur ed int erview s, free observat ion and phot ographs produced by t he subj ect s. Dat a analysis w as inspired by dialect ic h er m en eu t ics. “ I did n ot h av e” an d “ I n t h e st r eet s” w er e em pir ical cat egor ies em er gin g f r om t h e su bj ect s’ st at em ent s, ev idencing sit uat ions of insecur it y and despair , t he inser t ion in per v er t ed r elat ions, est ablished in t he universe of drug dealing, exploit at ion, violat ion of right s and econom ic privat ions. Fam ilies showed changes from one hist orical m om ent t o anot her, under dist inct variables and w it h a specific com plexit y, regarding t heir capacit y of discov er ing, m aint aining or alt er ing t heir dev elopm ent in t he env ir onm ent .
DESCRI PTORS: fam ily ; v iolence; cr im inal law
LA VI OLENCI A I NTRAFAMI LI AR Y LA JUSTI CI A
El ob j et iv o d e est e est u d io f u e an alizar las d im en sion es est r u ct u r ales, d e d esar r ollo y f u n cion ales d e las fam ilias en sit uación de violencia, baj o int ervención j udicial, en un m unicipio, en San Pablo, Brasil. Se ut ilizó el m arco t eórico cent rado en la visión del cont ext o ecológico del desarrollo hum ano. La m et odología adopt ada es de nat uraleza cualit at iva. La recolección de dat os se realizó sobre el análisis de los procesos j udiciales, m apas de censos, ent r ev ist a sem iest r uct ur ada, obser v ación libr e y fot ogr afías pr oducidas por los suj et os. El análisis de los dat os se inspiró en la herm enéut ica dialéct ica. “ No t uve” y “ En la calle” fueron cat egorías em píricas que em er gier on de los diálogos de los suj et os, ev idenciando sit uaciones de insegur idad y desam par o, inser ciones en r elaciones per v er sas - est ablecidas en el univ er so del t r áfico de dr ogas, ex plot ación, v iolación de der echos y p r iv acion es econ óm icas. Las f am ilias p r esen t ar on alt er acion es d e u n m om en t o h ist ór ico p ar a ot r o, b aj o dist int as v ar iables y con com plej idad específica, en lo r elacionado a las capacidades de descubr ir , sust ent ar o alt er ar su desar r ollo en el am bient e.
DESCRI PTORES: fam ília; v iolência; der echo cr im inal
A VI OLÊNCI A I NTRAFAMI LI AR E A JUSTI ÇA
O obj et iv o dest e est udo foi analisar as dim ensões est r ut ur ais, de desenv olv im ent o e funcionais das fam ílias em sit uação de violência, sob int ervenção j udicial, em um m unicípio do Est ado de São Paulo, Brasil. Ut ilizou- se o r ef er en cial t eór ico cen t r ado n a v isão do con t ex t o ecológico do desen v olv im en t o h u m an o. A m et odologia adot ada é de nat ur eza qualit at iv a. A colet a de dados const it uiu- se em análise dos pr ocessos for enses, m apas cen sit ár ios, en t r ev ist a sem i- est r u t u r ada, obser v ação liv r e e f ot ogr af ias pr odu zidas pelos su j eit os. A an álise dos dados inspirou- se na herm enêut ica dialét ica. “ Não t ive” e “ na rua” foram cat egorias em píricas que em ergiram das falas dos suj eit os, evidenciando sit uações de insegurança e desam paro, a inserção em relações perversas, est abelecidas no universo do t ráfico de drogas, a exploração, a violação de direit os e as privações econôm icas. As f am ílias ap r esen t ar am alt er ações d e u m m om en t o h ist ór ico p ar a ou t r o, sob d ist in t as v ar iáv eis e com com plex idade específica, quant o às capacidades de descobr ir , sust ent ar ou alt er ar o seu desenv olv im ent o no am b ien t e.
DESCRI TORES: fam ília; v iolência; dir eit o penal
1 Ph.D. in Nursing, e- m ail: j kroque@uol.com .br; 2 Full Professor, Universit y of Sao Paulo at Ribeirao Pret o College of Nursing, WHO Collaborat ing Cent er for
Nur sing Resear ch Developm ent , Brazil, e- m ail: car oline@eer p.usp.br ; 3 Facult y, Univer sit y of Sao Paulo at Ribeirao Pr et o College of Nur sing, WHO
I NTRODUCTI ON
B
r a z i l i a n r e a l i t y n o w a d a y s d e p e n d s o n s e v e r a l l e g a l d e v i c e s t o h e l p c h i l d r e n a n da d o l e sce n t s, a n d o n p u b l i c m a n a g e m e n t m o d e l s t h a t , f o c u s i n g o n t h e f a m i l y, a i m a t a b r o a d e r
co m m i t m en t w i t h h u m a n a n d so ci a l d ev el o p m en t i n t h e co u n t r y, j u st i f i ed b y sh a r i n g i n t er sect o r i a l
a n d g o v e r n m e n t a l a ct i o n s i n a n a t t e m p t t o f a ce a n d o v e r c o m e p o v e r t y , s o c i a l a n d e c o n o m i c
i n e q u a l i t i e s. Su ch g o a l s g e n e r a t e r e sp o n se s t h a t a r e t h e o r e t i c a l l y s a t i s f a c t o r y f o r t h e p r o p o s e d
i ssu e s, a l so ch a n g i n g t h e i n cu m b e n ci e s o f e a ch c o n s t i t u t e d p o w e r, s o t h a t t h e i r o p e r a t o r s a n d sp ecif ically t h e scien ce of Law can seek h elp f r om
H u m a n a n d S o c i a l S c i e n c e s , w i t h t h e g o a l o f a d v i si n g a n d su p p o r t i n g t h e d e ci si o n s a n d l e g a l
p r o c e d u r e s i n s i t u a t i o n s r e q u i r i n g t e c h n i c a l -sci en t i f i c k n o w l ed g e.
Therefore, when a given sit uat ion of violence in t h e fam ily r ealit y again st ch ildr en or adolescen t s su f f er s a j u d icial in t er v en t ion , t h e f act b ecom es a
law suit . When t he fam ily is in a j udicial sit uat ion, in t h e f ace of an au t h or it ar ian , cen t r alized , r ig id an d
b u r eau cr at ic or g an izat ion lik e t h e Cou r t of Ju st ice, t h e v i o l e n t f a ct , i t s co n se q u e n ce s a n d t e m p o r a l
int er faces ar e displaced, gr ant ing im por t ance t o t his cross- sect ional st udy t hat m onit ored t he developm ent
of it s subj ect s for t en years.
I s it expect ed t hat parent s from econom ically
im paired lower social classes, who com m it t ed violence against t heir childr en and it s aggr av at ions, w ould be able t o play t he role of parent s? We do not have such
dat a or t h e pr et en se of an sw er in g t h at qu est ion in t h is st u d y, b u t t h e com b in ed r esu lt s in d icat e t h at
e x p o s u r e t o a n e n v i r o n m e n t l a c k i n g v a r i a b l e s likesocioeconom ic st at us, m at er nal inst it ut ion, am ong
ot hers t hat det erm ine a consist ent t endency for st rict ly em pir ical w or k t ow ar ds it .
Lit erat ure shows t hat t he hierarchical st ruct ure of t he fam ily w as based on t he pow er and r ight s of
t he pat r iar ch, ev en r esor t ing t o v iolence t o m aint ain or der. Th is st r u ct u r e of dom in at ion w as cr y st allized bot h in im age and in realit y.
The r eflect ions of t he fat her ’s aut hor it y ov er h is ch ild r en , an d ad u lt s’ au t h or it y ov er ch ild r en in
g en er a l b eca m e t h e st a n d a r d t h a t r a i sed sev er a l g e n e r a t i o n s, i n cl u d i n g t h o se w h o se p a r e n t s a r e
aggr essor s of t heir childr en, t hr ough v iolence.
METHOD
The realizat ion of t his research com plied wit h t he guidelines and r egulat or y st andar ds for r esear ch involving hum an beings, st at ed in Resolut ion 196/ 96, which covers t his t ype of research, and approval was o b t a i n e d f r o m t h e Re v i e w B o a r d o f Es c o l a d e Enfer m agem de Ribeir ão Pr et o, Univ er sidade de São Pau lo.
Af t er t h is st ag e, t h e au t h or izat ion f or t h e r esear ch w as r equest ed t o t he officials in char ge in t h e legal sph er e, i. e. at t h e For u m of t h e r esear ch cit y – São Paulo, so t hat t he dat a could be collect ed fr om law suit s. Nine fam ilies w er e r andom ly select ed t o part icipat e in t he proj ect , out of 115 fam ilies wit h a hist ory of violence, in t he period from 1995 t o 2005, which had j udicial int ervent ion, t ot aling 66 part icipant s. As par t of t h e docu m en t at ion r equ est ed by t h e se r e g u l a t i o n s, t h e t e r m o f co n se n t w a s a l so elabor at ed and used t o obt ain t he infor m ed consent of t he subj ect s par t icipat ing in t his r esear ch.
Cross- sect ional m onit oring happened t hrough d o cu m e n t a n a l y si s ( f a m i l y l a w su i t s) a n d a l so b y pr ogr am m ed int er v iew s and sy st em at ic obser v at ions by t he r esear cher ov er t en y ear s.
A qu alit at iv e m et h odology( 1 - 2 ) w as adopt ed, h e r e i n u n d e r s t o o d a s i n t e r p r e t a t i v e p r a c t i c e s cont em plat ing t he m eanings t hat t he subj ect s at t ribut e t o phenom ena and t he group of relat ions perm eat ing t h eir d ay - t o- d ay liv es. Sem i- st r u ct u r ed in t er v iew s, fr ee obser v at ion and phot ogr aphic m at er ial pr oduced b y t h e s u b j e c t s w e r e u s e d f o r d a t a c o l l e c t i o n , at t em pt ing t o apprehend t he personal views of fam ily m em bers about t heir fam ily realit y, using phot ographic im agery, a t echnique t hat brought im port ant elem ent s f o r t h e r esear ch . Th e Cal g ar y Fam i l y Assessm en t Model ( CFAM) was used t o out line t he fam ily st ruct ure. Th e m odel con sist s of a m u lt idim en sion al st r u ct u r e wit h t hree m ain cat egories: st ruct ural, developm ent al a n d f u n ct i o n a l , su p p o r t e d o n a t h e o r e t i ca l b a si s inv olv ing sy st em s, com m unicat ion and changes. This m o d e l w a s a d a p t e d f r o m t h e f a m i l y a sse ssm e n t m odel( 3 ).
The herm eneut ic- dialect ic m et hod( 4- 5) and t he f u n d am en t als of t h e Th eor y of Ecolog ic Sy st em s( 6 ) w er e u sed t o a n a l y ze a n d b et t er u n d er st a n d t h e m ean in g s.
at acquisit ion, collect ive view and search for relevant
s t r u c t u r e s ; ( i i i ) c o n s t i t u t i o n o f t h e c o r p u s o f
com m u n icat ion s, u n it s of r eg ist r y an d r ef in in g t h e
classificat ion; ( iv) ident ificat ion and problem izat ion of
t h e ex p licit an d im p licit id eas w it h in t h e t ex t ; ( v )
d e f i n i t i o n o f e m p i r i ca l ca t e g o r i e s a n d se a r ch f o r
broader ( sociocult ural) m eanings, which art iculat e t he
e x p l a n a t i o n s o f t h e r e se a r ch su b j e ct s; ( v i ) f i n a l
a n a l y si s, m o v e m e n t o f t h e d i a l o g u e a m o n g t h e
p r ob lem ized id eas, in f or m at ion f r om ot h er st u d ies about t he t opic, t he t heoret ical reference of t he st udy
a n d e l a b o r a t i o n o f a n i n t e r p r e t a t i v e s y n t h e s i s ,
at t em pt ing t o ar t iculat e t he obj ect iv es of t he st udy,
t h e t h eor et ical r efer en ce adopt ed an d t h e em pir ical
d at a.
RESULTS/ DI SCUSSI ON
The analysis of st ruct ural, developm ent al and
funct ional dim ensions of t he fam ilies of childr en and
adolescen t s in sit u at ion s of v iolen ce, u n der j u dicial
int er v ent ion, br ings r esult s t hat qualify it as a space
of social disint egrat ion and all sort s of risk m echanism s
w it h negat ive event s, m aking t he life hist ories of t he
people focus on t he loss of loved ones due t o hom icide,
im pr isonm ent and long conv ict ions due t o int r a- and
ex t r a- f am ily v iolen ce.
People were observed t o belong t o low- incom e
social classes, in cap ab le of p r ov id in g f or t h e m ost basic needs of t heir m em ber s. They hav e a m ar k ed
social ret ract ion, even t hough t hey live on t he st reet s.
Pa r e n t a l , i n st i t u t i o n a l a n d so ci a l co n t e x t s o f t h e
par t icipant s hav e no inclusiv e logic, w hich allow s us
t o descr ibe t h em as ex clu ded( 7 ). Th er e ar e gaps in t h eir lev els of con st an cy an d d if f er en t iat ion of t h e
fam ily syst em ’s st ruct ural organizat ion, wit h t he abuse
of alcohol and nar cot ics, pr ofessional inst abilit y and
poor int er per sonal sk ills. Dat a t hat ar e cor r obor at ed in t he quant it at ive com parat ive dist ribut ion of physical
violence, negligence and sexual violence in t he sam e
per iod( 8 ).
Ch i l d r e n a n d a d o l e sce n t s d e f i n e q u i t e a
pr ecar iou s socializat ion , sh ow in g lack of k n ow ledge
of social and cult ural st andards, which is observed t o
increase t he conflict s wit h t he fam ily environm ent and
t heir ex acer bat ions out side it . Sev er e difficult ies and
in com pet en ce f or in t egr at ion in t o ex t er n al sy st em s
ar e not ed, w it h t he school as t he place w her e t hese
occur r ences ar e m ost v isible. Ev en t hough t hey m ay be in t he lat er years of school, t hey rem ain illit erat e, w h i c h w a s s e e n i n s e v e r a l c h i l d r e n i n t h i s
en v ir on m en t .
A dilut ion of t he fam ily process is seen in t he
s o c i a l s y s t e m s , s i n c e t h e f a m i l y f u n c t i o n s a r e t r ansfer r ed t o social ser v ices.
Eig h t y p er cen t of t h e f am ily m em b er s ar e fem ale. According t o age, t he range w it h t he highest
n u m b e r o f su b j e ct s i s b e t w e e n 3 0 a n d 3 9 y e a r s ( 3 0 . 0 % ) , f o l l o w ed b y 4 0 - 4 9 y ear s ( 1 6 . 0 % ) . Hi g h
unem ploym ent , professional inst abilit y and precarious j obs ar e also obser v ed.
These dim ensions, seen by t heir m em bers in
t he per spect ive of j udicial int er vent ion, ar e show n t o be innocuous and ineffect iv e.
Violence is placed as a cont inuum , since t here is a social const ruct t hat defines it since t he childhood
of t he m em ber s of t hese fam ilies. Child labor is also found her e, as t he use of childr en for dr ug dealing, am ong several ot her sit uat ions of violat ions of right s,
w her e t he univ er salit y of childhood does not sust ain it self, as seen in Figure 1.
I t can b e ob ser v ed t h at t h e w eig h t of t h e
fam ily roles is very significant for t he developm ent of
it s m em bers, and t hat , depending on how t he fam ily
is const it ut ed and how it s m em ber s r elat e, a bet t er
a n d h i g h e r d e v e l o p m e n t o f i t s m e m b e r s ca n b e
prom ot ed, or, on t he ot her hand, t heir capabilit ies can
be ham per ed. The fam ily can be m any t hings, fr om
t he sour ce of em ot ional and social suppor t , aiding in
t he healt hy developm ent of it s m em bers, t o a source
of risk, conflict s and st ress. As for t he em ot ional and
b eh av ior al ad j u st m en t of ch ild r en an d ad u lt s, it is
associat ed w it h t he qualit y of fam ily r elat ions( 9).
“ On t h e s t r e e t s ” , a n e m p i r i c a l c a t e g o r y
unv eiled, defines non- pr ot ect ion and loneliness, also
r ev ealing t hat t he idealized fam ily m odel ( based on
f am ily m em b er sh ip , in t h e f am ily n u cleu s w it h t h e
p r e d o m i n a n c e o f t h e f a t h e r - m o t h e r - c h i l d r e n
st r u ct u r e) , accor din g t o t h ese su bj ect s, is t h e on ly
one capable of providing t he condit ions necessary for
t he dev elopm ent of a child.
Br oad - sp ect r u m sociocu lt u r al an aly ses ar e
n ecessa r y t o u n d er st a n d t h e i n n er w o r k i n g s o f a
f am ily, w h er e it s t r an sf or m at ion s can b e ob ser v ed
t hrough hist ory( 10). For t hose aut hors, st udying cult ural
div er sit y fav or s t he dev elopm ent of clear er t heor ies
and t he const r uct ion of m or e v alid fam ily concept s,
which t his st udy brings st rongly. The fam ily inst it ut ion
can be u n der st ood, w h en it s m em ber s ar e “ On t h e
st r eet s”, as a pr in ciple of con st r u ct ion of collect iv e
r ealit y. The fam ily, now aday s, w hen seen as a social
con st r u ct , can b e u n d er st ood as a com m on , w
ell-known space t hat is sim ult aneously physical, relat ional
and sy m bolic, capable of being used as a m et aphor
f or all t h e sit u at ion s t h at r ef er t o sp on t an eit y an d
ease( 11).
Added t o st aying “ On t he st reet s”, t he cont ext
of t he st udied fam ilies is t he lat e 20t h cent ury / early
2 1st cent ur y, not ing t hat Br azil under w ent im por t ant
social, d em og r ap h ic an d econ om ic ch an g es, w h ich
m odified t he age st ruct ure and fam ily com posit ion as
a whole. The Brazilian fam ily st ruct ure is st ill nuclear,
b u t t h e si ze o f t h e f a m i l i es d ecr ea sed , w h i l e t h e
n u m b e r o f u n i o n s w i t h o u t l e g a l b o n d s a n d
m o n o p a r e n t a l a r r a n g e m e n t s i n c r e a s e d – t h o s e
ch a r a ct e r i ze d b y t h e p r e se n ce o f t h e f a t h e r ( o r
m o t h er ) w i t h t h e ch i l d r en , w i t h o r w i t h o u t o t h er
r e l a t i v e s i n t h e s a m e h o m e( 1 2 ). Th e g r e a t e r
t ransfor m at ions hav e occur r ed w it hin t he fam ily, due
t o ch a n g e s i n t h e w o m a n ’ s p o si t i o n a n d t o n e w
r elat ional pat t er ns am ong t he fam ily m em ber s.
We should also consider t hat , in operat ional
t er m s, t h e m acr osy st em is m an if est ed in t h e f or m
and cont ent cont inuit ies revealed by t he analysis of a
giv en cu lt u r e, becau se t h e f am ily an aly sis r equ ir es
syst em at ic inform at ion in relat ion t o it s st ruct ure and
t he ecological level where t he behavior of it s m em bers
occu r r ed .
Sim ply affirm ing t hat t hese subj ect s are
low-incom e Br azilian par ent s or childr en and not m
iddle-class fam ilies is t he sam e as offering a single m arker,
a sign on t he door of t he environm ent al cont ext , which
m akes it unexpect ed. Therefore, in t he cont ext of t he
m acr osy st em st r u ct u r es, it is n ecessar y t o im agin e
hum an developm ent as if it occurred wit hin a dynam ic
env ir onm ent al sy st em : “ Dev elopm ent happens inside
a m o v i n g t r a i n , a n d t h i s t r a i n c a n b e c a l l e d a
‘m acr osy st em in m ot ion’”( 13).
Responses in our research clarify t he people’s
concept ions, as well as t heir relat ions wit h t he forces
of social and econom ic changes, as pr ot agonist s and
subj ect s w ho ar e aw ar e t hat t hey hav e not hing, and
per ceiv e t he j udicial int er v ent ion in t heir fam ilies as
in ef f ect iv e, an d w h o w an t , n eed or m ov e “ ON THE
STREETS” , w h o a l so h a s t h e sk y o f f r e e d o m , o r
dist ancing fr om t he St at e as a w elcom ing inst it ut ion
of prot ect ion for t heir needs, as observed in figures 2
and 3.
Fi g u r e 3 – Th e b a t h r o o m d o o r w a y i n t h e h o u se , cov er ed w it h t he nat ional flag
The ecologic per spect ive used in t he pr esent st udy const it ut es a t heoret ical approach which helped u s n o t o n l y t o c o m p r e h e n d t h e a m p l i t u d e a n d com plexit y of t he st udy universe, but also t o describe and explain t he effect s of t he ecosyst em in each fam ily m em b er( 6 ).
I n t h e ear l y 2 1st cen t u r y, i n t h e Br azi l i an r ealit y, t her e is a v er y com plex and specific cont ex t , w h i ch d e m a n d s d i f f e r e n t i a t e d so ci a l a n d cu l t u r a l r e s p o n s e s , f r o m p e o p l e a s a w h o l e a n d , m o r e specifically, fr om t he fam ilies t hem selv es.
Fam ilies ar e ob ser v ed t o h av e b een liv in g sit uat ions in t heir cont ex t , w it h ex t r em e difficult ies, bein g in a con st an t sit u at ion of v u ln erabilit y, eit h er by t he local dr ug dealer w ho t hr eat ens t hem , or by a n ex t r em el y p r eca r i o u s so ci o eco n o m i c si t u a t i o n , m o st l y m a i n t a i n e d b y so ci a l su b si d i e s f r o m t h e gov er nm ent , such as Bolsa Escola ( a social pr ogr am t h a t p r o v i d es m o n ey t o f a m i l i es a s l o n g a s t h ei r
children are sent t o school). Therefore, school evasion
is not high, since t he benefit has school at t endance as it s eligibilit y st an dar d. Added t o su ch su bsidies,
t hey also receive com m unit y or inst it ut ional aid, oft en added t o by t heft and illicit act iv it ies. Childr en also p a r t i ci p a t e i n t h i s i n co m e o b t a i n ed f r o m o b scu r e sources, which, alt hough t he int erviewees t ried t o hide t h e m , w e r e cl e a r l y d e t e ct e d i n t h e st a t e m e n t s, dem onst r at ing t he disint egr at ion.
When Tonho was a m inor, he worked as a drug carrier,
you know? For drug dealers, I did t hat t o pay for m y vice, I had no
childhood, I don’t rem em ber ever playing wit h anyt hing ( F9) .
S t u d i e s a b o u t m u l t i p r o b l e m a t i c f a m i l i e s s h o w e d v e r y s i m i l a r s t r u c t u r e s , d e s c r i b i n g a n d j ust ify ing t he lack of abilit y t o face cr ises and solv e problem s, where t he at t em pt s im plem ent ed t o im prove st ressful sit uat ions usually end up in conflict s. Lack of m ut ual support and divert ed alliance st andards induce n egat iv e af f ect iv e st at es in t h e f am ily m em ber s, in so- called dism em ber ed r elat ions, w her e any adapt ive p r ocess, su ch as n eg ot iat ion , p r ob lem an d con f lict resolut ion, is shown t o be less effect ive( 11- 12).
Alt hough t he dat a are clear, according t o t he st r ict ness of t he quant it at iv e aspect s, t he qualit at iv e analysis not es t hat t he sit uat ion of t he spouses does n o t p r esen t t h e sa m e cl a r i t y, w h en b a sed i n t h e t radit ional sense. For exam ple, in one of t he fam ilies, where t he couple has lived t oget her wit h t heir children and for m ally m ar r ied for ov er 30 y ear s, t he m ar it al st at us of bot h persons is “ m arried”. However, t he wife has lived in t he sam e house wit h anot her part ner for over five years, in a coexist ence whose circum st ances denom inat e st able union bet w een m an and w om an, accor ding t o ar t icle 226, § 3r d of t he Const it ut ion of t h e Fed er at iv e Rep u b lic of Br azil( 1 3 ). Also, t h er e is a n o t h er o ccu r r en ce o f t h e so r t , w h er e a m a r r i ed wom an has been living wit h anot her m an for 12 years, not her husband.
“ I didn ’t h av e” edu cat ion cor r obor at es w it h t h e su r v ey d at a, p er f or m ed in a p r ev iou s r esear ch on lawsuit s relat ed t o vict im ized childhood( 14), result ing in a percent age where m ost people are illit erat e, have never at t ended school or even finished 4t h grade, and higher educat ional lev els w er e not found.
60, which m ent ions “ Children under 16 years old are f or b id d en t o h old an y k in d of j ob , ex cep t if in t h e condit ion of appr ent ices”.
Fam ilies seem t o liv e per m anent ly in cr isis, w it h m u lt iple pr oblem s t h at ar e r en ew ed w it h each n e w g e n e r a t i o n , m a i n t a i n i n g a n d s o m e t i m e s e x ce e d i n g i t s sp e ci f i ci t i e s. Be si d e s, t h e y o u n g e r m em bers t ake on roles t hat are very sim ilar t o t hose play ed by t he pr ev ious gener at ions.
Th e i r h o m e s , v e r y p r e c a r i o u s , a r e con cen t r at ed in collect iv e dw ellin gs, w h ose r edu ced s p a c e s h o u s e m a n y p e o p l e f r o m s e v e r a l f a m i l y g r ou p s.
Crim inal act ions from drug dealing, m uggings, hom icides, r obber ies follow ed by m ur der and ot her s, com m it t ed by adolescent s, est ablish v er y int er est ing dy nam ics w it h j ust ice and it s pr ocedur es w it hin t he j udicial environm ent . This whole set of fact ors can be analyzed as a group of sit uat ions of t he m icrosyst em , r o o t ed i n t h e m a cr o sy st em o f h i g h er o r d er s, t h e inst it ut ional st r uct ur es and associat ed ideologies.
St ill in t he person/ t im e axis and t he different event s t hat involve t he person in developm ent , fam ilies w e r e o b se r v e d t o p r e se n t se v e r a l p r o b l e m s w i t h ch r o n i ci t y, w h e r e t h e cy cl e o f m u l t i p l e p r o b l e m s renews it self at every new generat ion, by a m echanism t hat can be nam ed r elat ional her edit y, developed in t w o ax es, t im e and space.
Alt hough t his range of fam ily occurrences has been int er pr et ed, by choosing t er m s lik e m ult iplicit y of pr oblem s an d in st abilit y t o com pose som e of it s m any charact er ist ics, w e should not e, how ever, t hat such m ar k s seem not t o be shar ed by t he fam ilies, since t hey spok e about t hem as som et hing nat ur al, e v e n w h e n v e r i f i e d t h r o u g h t i m e , o v e r t h e g e n e r a t i o n s , a s v e r y i m p o r t a n t e x p e r i e n c e s o f i n s t a b i l i t y, d e s p a i r, a b a n d o n m e n t a n d v i o l e n c e , per m eat ed w it h cir cu m st an ces of fear an d n eed for self - pr ot ect ion , t h ese placed as f or m s of dist an cin g a n d r e m o v i n g f a m i l y c o h e s i o n , f a v o r i n g t h e m aint enance of dy sfunct ional r elat ional pat t er ns. The findings per m it t ed affir m ing, w it hin t he cor es of t he ecologic sy st em per son , pr ocess, con t ex t an d t im e, t h at t h ese f am i l i es h av e m em b er s w h o h av e l o st resources over t he generat ions. Therefore, t hey have becom e m or e and m or e v ulner able, unable t o br eak t his feeble r elat ional her edit y.
Th e i n t e r v i e w e d f a m i l i e s p r e s e n t a n int erest ing geographic m obilit y, and const ant changes of t heir places of residence, associat ed t o t he st rat egy
of lif e im p r ov em en t , b u t w it h lit t le su ccess, w h ich cor r obor at es t he findings of pr ev ious st udies( 16). The an aly sis of t h e in t er v iew s sh ow s t h at t h e av er ag e fam ily has already held j obs in t he rural area, whet her cu t t in g dow n su gar can e du r in g h ar v est season s, or preparing t he soil bet ween harvest s. Their course has always been inst able, lacking st able j obs, com plaining about healt h problem s t hat m ake it difficult t o reinsert t hem selv es in t he j ob m ar k et .
I worked a lot during childhood, and now I lost m y
st rengt h, I have no condit ion t o work. The doct or t old m e t hat I
have ulcer, t hat ’s why m y st om ach hurt s so bad, and also because
of drinking ( F9) .
A v er y br oad pan or am a of h ealt h pr oblem s is det ect ed, wit h alcoholism being t he m ost highlight ed, in m em bers of all fam ilies, m en and wom en, children a n d a d o l e sce n t s. Al co h o l w a s a l so v e r i f i e d t o b e associat ed w it h sit u at ion s of v iolen ce in t h e f am ily con t ex t .
Al t h o u g h d r u g a d d i ct i o n w a s o b se r v e d i n m em bers of all generat ions in all fam ilies, t he highest incidence w as found in t he y ounger gener at ions. I n m ost fam ilies, one or m or e dr ug addict ed child w as observed, in t he age range from 8 t o 17 years.
Th e c a s e s o f d r u g a d d i c t i o n a r e a l s o asso ci at ed t o cr i m i n al p r act i ce, t em p o r ar i l y g o i n g m issing and t heft pract iced by adult m em bers, which r esu lt ed in r epeat ed im pr ison m en t . I n t h e f am ilies, som e m em b er s h av e b een im p r ison ed , an d ot h er s ar e in pr ison, ser v ing sent ences of differ ent lengt hs.
FI NAL CONSI DERATI ONS
I t c a n b e s t a t e d t h a t t h e r e h a v e b e e n changes in t he st r uct ur e of t hese fam ilies over t im e, con sid er in g t h e f ou r cor es of t h e ecolog ic sy st em : person, changes regarding t he biological, physical and psy chological char act er ist ics in int er act ions w it h t he e n v i r o n m e n t ; p r o c e s s , r e f e r r i n g t o h o w t h e experiences from m ut ant propert ies of t he im m ediat e e n v i r o n m e n t s s h o u l d b e i n t e r p r e t e d , w h e r e t h e d ev elop in g p er son is in ser t ed , an d also r eg ar d in g t im e. I n t his chronosyst em , t he first change is about t he m ode r elat ed t o t he per sons and t heir pr ox im al pr ocesses, t hat adv ance ov er t im e, and t he second, r ef er r i n g t o t h e p assag e o f t i m e i n t h e h i st o r i cal con t ex t .
Recebido em : 15.5.2007 Aprovado em : 8.8.2008
int er nal br eak dow ns and ex t er nal int er fer ences t hat int er face w it h cur r ent t im es.
The ecologic appr oach in our st udy inspir es a r eor ient at ion of t he adv ancem ent in r esear ch w it h f am ilies an d t h e im p lem en t at ion of p u b lic p olicies t ow ar ds it .
Con clu din g, t h e f am ilies pr esen t alt er at ion s f r om a h ist or ic m om en t t o t h e n ex t , u n der dist in ct
variables and wit h specific com plexit ies, regarding t he capacit ies of discovering, m aint aining or changing t he pr oper t ies of t heir dev elopm ent in t he env ir onm ent . Judicial int ervent ions in cases of fam ily violence need t o consider t he new legal devices on ot her procedural bases. Th e per cept ion of t h e fam ilies abou t j u dicial i n t e r v e n t i o n s i s c o n f o r m e d i n n o n - r e s o l u t i o n , consider ed her m et ic, slow and ar bit r ar y.
REFERENCES
1. Deslandes SF, Gom es R. A pesquisa qualit at iva em serviços d e s a ú d e : n o t a s t e ó r i c a s . I n : B o s i MLM, Me r c a d o FJ, or g an izad or es. Pesq u isa q u alit at iv a d e ser v iços d e saú d e. Pet r óp olis: Vozes; 2 0 0 4 . p . 9 9 - 1 2 0 .
2 . Mi n a y o MCS. O d e s a f i o d o c o n h e c i m e n t o : p e s q u i s a qualit at iv a em saúde .4. ed. São Paulo ( SP) : Hucit ec; 1996. 3 . Tom m k , San d er s G. Fam i l y assessm en t i n a p r ob l em o r i e n t e d r e c o r d . I n : H a n s e n JJC, K e e n e y B F e d i t o r e s . Diagnosis and assessm ent in fam ily t herapy. London: Aspen Sy st em s Cor p or at ion ; 1 9 8 3 .
4. Haber m as J. Dialét ica e her m enêut ica. Por t o Alegr e ( RS) : L& PM; 1 9 8 7 .
5. Gadam er HG. Ver dade e m ét odo: t r aços fundam ent ais de um a her m enêut ica filosófica. Pet r ópolis ( RJ) : Vozes; 1 9 9 7 . 6. Br onfenbr enner U. Ecologia do Desenv olv im ent o Hum ano. Exper im ent os Nat ur ais e Planej ados. Por t o Alegr e( RS) : Ar t es Méd i ca s; 1 9 9 6 .
7 . Th ier n ey L. Ex clu d ad f am ilies. New Yor k : Un iv er sit y of Colu m b ia Pr ess; 1 9 7 6 .
8 . Ro q u e , EMST, Fe r r i a n i , MGC. Est u d o d a s f a m íl i a s d e cr ian ças e adolescen t es v ít im as de v iolên cia qu e sof r er am i n t e r v e n ç ã o d a j u s t i ç a . I n : Re v i s t a Re v La t i n o - a m . En f er m agem 2 0 0 7 Ju lh o; 1 5 ( 4 ) : 5 4 9 - 5 5 .
9 . Hi l l J, Fo n a g y P, Sa f i er E, Sa r g en t J. Th e eco l o g y o f
a t t a c h m e n t i n t h e f a m i l y. Fa m i l y Pr o c e s s 2 0 0 3 Ju n e ; 4 2 ( 2 ) : 2 0 5 - 2 1 .
1 0 . D e s s e n M A , S i l v a N A N e t o . Q u e s t õ e s d e f a m íl i a , desenv olv im ent o e a pr át ica de pesquisa. Psicologia: Teor ia e Pesqu isa 2 0 0 0 set em br o- dezem br o; ( 3 ) : 1 9 1 - 2 9 2 . 11. Saraceno C. Sociologia da fam ília. Lisboa: Est am pa; 1997. 1 2 . B e r q u ó E. A r r a n j o s f a m i l i a r e s . I n : S c h w a r c z LM , organizador. Hist ória da vida privada no Brasil: cont rast es da int im idade cont em por ânea. São Paulo ( SP) : Com panhia das Let r as; 1 9 9 8 . p . 4 1 1 - 3 8 .
13. Lur ia AR. Cognit iv e dev elopm ent : it s cult ur al and social fou n dat ion s. Cam br idge: Har w ar d Un iv er sit y Pr ess; 1 9 7 6 . 1 4 . Con st it u ição d a Rep ú b lica Fed er at iv a d o Br asil. Tex t o con st it u cion al d e 0 5 d e ou t u b r o d e 1 9 8 8 , com alt er ações a d o t a d a s p e l a s Em e n d a s Co n st i t u ci o n a i s d e n º 0 1 , d e 1 9 9 2 , a 3 8 , d e 2 0 0 2 , e p e l a s Em e n d a s Co n st i t u ci o n a i s d e Re v i sã o d e n º 7 0 1 a 0 6 , d e 1 9 9 4 . 1 9 e d . Br a síl i a : Cen t r o d e D o cu m en t ação e I n f o r m ação , Co o r d en ação d e Pu b l i c a ç õ e s , Câ m a r a d o s D e p u t a d o s ; 2 0 0 2 . ( S é r i e d e t ex t o s b ási co s; n º 2 8 ) .
