Infâncias cativas: tramas do trabalho doméstico de meninas no Piauí (1980-1990)

Abstract

This research analyzes the historical strategies of production and reproduction of child domestic labor in the city of Barras, Piauí, between the 1980 and 1990. The history of Brazil is deeply marked by the exploitation of child labor, especially in the domestic sphere, with roots that date back to the slavery period. At that time, it was common for children to perform roles as pages, errand boys, and waiters, among other activities. Advertisements in newspapers sought minors to perform domestic tasks or keep their employers’ children company, in exchange for food and/or housing, reflecting the naturalization of this practice. Despite legal and institutional advances in the following decades, the exploitation of child labor still persists, especially in domestic work. Many children, especially girls, are taken to other families’ homes under false promises of education and a better life, but end up subjected to long working hours and in contexts of vulnerability. Based on the memories and experiences of women from the city of Barras-PI, this research seeks to understand the mechanisms of naturalization and perpetuation of the exploitation of child domestic labor. The methodology adopted combines oral history and documentary analysis, based on interviews, data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), reports from the International Labor Organization (ILO), records of complaints, legislation and the book of stories “I, a domestic worker: the modern slave quarters are the maid’s little room”. The interdisciplinary approach makes it possible to highlight how historical and cultural practices contribute to the maintenance of structural inequalities that affect, above all, impoverished and black girls.