Meninas do Ceará, a que será que se destinam? Compreensão da vulnerabilidade para homicídios de adolescentes meninas no Ceará na perspectiva da saúde

Abstract

Between 2000 and 2019, 54,458 homicide cases were recorded in Ceará, of which 10,560 (19.39%) were adolescents aged 10 to 19. It is important to emphasize that adolescence goes far beyond a defined age group; it encompasses biopsychosocial development and maturation, the transformation of beliefs and values, and that the population comprising these individuals is represented in a wide range of health, education, housing, leisure, culture, safety, and other areas inherent to dignified human development. This study was justified by the ethical, humanitarian, and, above all, the need to defend life, building intersectoral processes to prevent violence against adolescents and young women by strengthening the care and protection network. Understanding vulnerability factors for homicide among adolescent girls in Ceará, from a health perspective, contributed to a systemic understanding of this phenomenon. This project engaged in qualitative research in public health and engaged with comprehensive studies. The research was conducted in the municipalities of Fortaleza and Caucaia, Ceará. The proposed data collection technique consisted of semistructured interviews with female adolescents, based on the theory and synthesis of knowledge resulting from the integrative review. The methodology for analyzing the empirical material was Discourse Analysis. Seven girls were interviewed, all of whom had had some contact with homicide cases within the region or within their families and experienced the difficulties of living with the memories, traumas, and insecurities that exist in the peripheries. We concluded how fragile social policies are, as their applicability and accessibility are increasingly less visible, with only their ideology being targeted. Furthermore, we noted how the girls who participated in this study do not feel protected by the State, associating it with a slow pace of social protection processes and a high degree of neglect when it comes to the dominance of criminal gangs in the region, thus perpetuating not only explicit but also symbolic violence. Despite these facts, there are still dreams that inspire the sense of life and give meaning to the continued struggle against the oppressive system day after day.