Crianças e adolescentes do Mercado Central de João Pessoa: um estudo sobre o trabalho infantil e trabalho familiar

Abstract

This research aims at studying how adults, children and adolescents perceive the child and family labor at the Mercado Central (Central Public Market), in the city of João Pessoa, State of Paraíba. Data came from qualitative research methods, and resulted from participant observation in the fieldwork carried out from August 2017 to February 2018. Throughout the research’s development, child labor was significantly signaled as a way to “help” the family, when related to the family context. This fact is justified by the role of the labor not only in children and adolescents’ socialization, but also in its function as a formative means of those individuals’ character. The labor is related to dignity, respect and discipline, and it is legitimized by the ideology and the working culture. Children and adolescents continue to attend that market with their parents outside the school hours, even attending to school and being part of a direct income transfer program. Therefore, the main goal of the research was to understand the processes responsible for maintaining this kind of activity, which go beyond economic issues. It is fundamental to observe the perception of adults, children and adolescents on their labor at that public market.