As implicações psicossociais do trabalho precoce de meninos e meninas em condição de rua

• Main Author: Maria de Fátima Pereira Alberto
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Universidade do Porto 2007-12-01
• Series: Laboreal
• Subjects: Child labour; premature work; psychosocial implications and health.
• Online Access: http://laboreal.up.pt/revista/artigo.php?id=37t45nSU5471123564574752531

This article concerns the premature work, of street children, involved in the activities of hawking at traffic lights, food vendors, “carguardians”; and girls in the situation of commercial sexual exploitation. It is understood that the interrelation of work conditions and work organization has implications for physical and mental health. We use, as reference, authors who study mental health, work and subjectivity, particularly psychosociology, impairment theory, ergonomics and work psychodynamics. Qualitative methodology is used and four sets of procedures are employed as technique: “territorialization”, systematic observation, interviews (individual and group) and lifestories. The results showed that premature insertion is damaging to the lives of these children and adolescents, with psychosocial implications that are noticeable in the following aspects: negative image of themselves and low self-esteem; premature adulthood; absence from school; deviant socialization and a lack of prospects for the future.