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In this week's News from Brazil:

•     Leaders believe that the Brazilian Supreme Court will up hold the legal recognition of Raposa Serra do Sol
•     The government finishes first survey on the street population

Leaders believe that the Brazilian Supreme Court will up hold the legal recognition of Raposa Serra do Sol

On the morning of April 30, indigenous leaders of Roraima gave a collective interview to the press about the tense situtation in which the people of Raposa Serra do Sol are living.  Because the Brazilian Supreme Court on April 9, in a preliminary verdict, suspended the operation to return the indigenous lands, the leaders met in Brasília with representatives of the three Powers [three branches of the Brazilian federal government] about the question of official recognition of the Raposa Serra do Sol land.

During the interview, Dionito Makuxi, coordinator of the Council of Indigenous of Roraima (Conselho Indígena Roraima – CIR), said “we are not here fighting just for the rights of the peoples of Raposa Serra do Sol, but for all people.  If the rights of the peoples of Raposa are not respected there will be a precedent for not upholding the rights of all of the indigenous peoples of Brazil.”

The possibility of the Supreme Court reversing the decision of legal recognition for the land of Raposa continues to weigh heavily on the minds of the leaders.  In spite of this, they said they were confident in the ability of the government official to discern what is just.  “We believe that the Supreme Court is going to validate this right, already this very court had determined the demarcation and the legal recognition of the indigenous land”, said Makuxi, referring to the decisions in 2005, guaranteeing recognition.

Dionito went on to explain the arguments used by anti-indigenous groups that the legal recognition in the area represented a threat to national sovereignty.  “The rice farmer, Paulo César Quateiro invaded the indigenous land, did not pay a single cent to the state, he has torn down bridges, burned down the homes of the Indians…. and it’s the Indians that are the threat to the sovereignty of the country?  We did not run away.  We are Brazilians, we are in our home and we are going to take care of our home, preserving nature, taking care of the forests and the rivers.  We believe that by doing this we are defending our country.”

José Lourenço Wapichana, of the Association of Indigenous Peoples of the São Marcos Land, the area next to Raposa, also spoke during the interview.  “We have come to support the population of Raposa, since the confusion created by Quarteiro also effects the São Marcos land and a contrary decision by the Supreme Court will also effect us.”  In the next two months, the Supreme Court has to judge the merit of a lawsuit that seeks the nullification of the declaration of the area as indigenous land.  On May 1, the state prosecutor gave his opinion to the Supreme Court, considering to validation of the legal recognition of Raposa Serra do Sol.

Collectively, there are also ten other indigenous leaders from the CIR, Sodiur, Alidecir, Apitsm, Apir, Opir and Cecac, beyond these organizations the Forum in Defense of Indigenous Rights (FDDI) was also present.

Source:  ADITAL – May 2, 2008

The government finishes first survey on the street population

Male, between the ages of 25 and 44, black, literate, with a paying job.  This description  . . . . of people living in the streets of Brazil, is a profile produced by the first National Research on the Homeless Population, finished in 71 cities around the country.

The research found 31,992 people over the age of 18 on the street, approximately 0.061% of the population of the cities participating in the survey.  Those who live in the street were found on sidewalks, in public squares and parks, under highways and bridges, at gas stations, beaches, alleyways, in tunnels and abandoned buildings, at recycling centers, junkyards and scrap heaps or passing the night in institutions (hostels, shelters, churches, transitional and subsidized housing).

According to the research, “70% are in the habit of sleeping on the street and 22% in hostels, but 46.5% prefer to pass the night on the street, mainly for the sake of freedom, and 44% show a preference for an institution, out of fear of violence.  Almost half (48%) of those interviewees that participated in the survey have been sleeping on the streets for more than two years.”

Based on this research, out of every 100 persons on the street, 71 work, but 48% of the interviewees never have had a formal job, with a signed document.  The average weekly income of those interviewed varied from 20 to 80 Brazilian Reais (approximately 12 to almost 50 U.S. dollars).

The principal activity for 28% of them is the collection of recyclable material, followed by activities such as “flanelinha” [informal car-park attendant], working as a porter, in construction or in the cleaning sector.  Only 16% of those living on the street said that they begged money to survive.

In what was said with respect to family relationships, 52% said that they have at least one parent in the city in which they live.  Around 35% have frequent contact with their family, and 39% feel that they have a good relationship with their parents.  Alcoholism and drug use are the main reason (35.5%) why those interviewed are homeless.  This is followed closely by unemployment (30%) and estrangement from families (29%).

The research shows that 88.5% of those living on the street are not reached by government programs.  The government handouts get to, at most, 3% of this population.  Although 95% of them no longer go to school, more than 70% of those interviewed know how to read and write.  The majority of the interviewees, 80%, said that they make at least one meal a day.  In relation to health, 30% said that they have some problem, such as hypertension, mental illness or AIDS, and 19% take medication.

The research highlighted that the percentage of the population of homeless that self-identifies as black, 30%, is much higher than the national average, which is 6.2%; meanwhile, those who consider themselves white, 29.5%, are well below the corresponding number among all Brazilians, 54%.

Source:  ADITAL – May 2, 2008