Page 91 - IJPS-9-3

International Journal of
Population Studies Refugees’ voices in Brazilian cities

In this sense, considering that individuals seeking their right to the city through full (or broader) political
refuge are welcomed into a city upon their arrival, ensuring participation within the Brazilian State, specifically in the
their integration and the realization of their human rights municipal sphere. It analyses the collective efforts aimed
requires that they are assured the full enjoyment and at securing recognition of the aforementioned rights for
exercise of the right to the city. It should be clarified that refugees and refugee applicants, granting them the right to
according to a systematic interpretation of articles 18, 29, “voice” in the city in which they live.
and 30 of the Brazilian 1988 Federal Constitution (Brazil, This study constitutes a legal-sociological investigation
1988), the municipality is the smallest federal entity (Gustin, 2010) utilizing the theoretical research technique
responsible for directly addressing the immediate basic in the bibliographic form (Gil, 2002). It examines the legal
needs of the population through urban management.
aspects of citizenship, political participation, and the right
For conceptual purposes, the right to the city corresponds to the city concerning refugees and refugee applicants.
to the right of every inhabitant to participate fully (actively Furthermore, it analyzes the concrete realization of these
and passively) in urban life (Lefebvre, 2011). This includes rights and explores the legal phenomenon within the
being able to enjoy the advantages, opportunities, and political and sociocultural environment, with a particular
services offered by the local urban system, such as housing, focus on the notion of effectiveness between law and
transport, work, culture, and leisure, and to participate in society.
the elaboration of urban policies and the construction of In this sense, this paper begins by defining and
the city itself (Lefebvre, 1968 Trindade, 2012).
interconnecting the concepts of city, citizenship, political
Nevertheless, it should be noted that the effectiveness participation, and right to the city. It also outlines the rights
of urban public policy for integration often depends on guaranteed to the refugee population by the Brazilian legal
collaboration with the intended group (Moreira, 2010), system, demonstrating the qualification of this population
in this case, refugees and refugee applicants. Without as citizens. Subsequently, it addresses the question of
their participation in its elaboration, government policy whether the refugee and refugee applicant movement can
may prove to be superficial, inadequate, and ineffective be classified as a social movement and explores the search
in achieving its desired goals. Moreover, the very level of for recognition as individuals entitled to the right to the
effectiveness of these urban policies can only be assessed city. Finally, it analyzes the institutionalized law itself as
by those who use and benefit from them. a paradox of subordination and emancipation of these
Participation in the elaboration, implementation, and people within the Brazilian sociopolitical and legal system.
monitoring of public policies also requires the recognition 2. Contextualizing the city, citizenship,
of refugees and refugee applicants as (political) subjects
of rights, citizens who shape their living environment, political participation, and the right to the
protagonists and narrators of their own history (Benjamin, city of refugees in Brazil
1994), and individuals who are not subordinate (Bidaseca, When individuals seeking refuge are received, they
2010). Without this recognition, the simple elaboration of find welcome within a city, as municipalities are the
government policies destined for the integration of such lowest federative entities recognized by the 1988 Federal
a group without any form of (influential) participation Constitution. Therefore, to ensure the effective reception
being opportune keeps them as objects, distant from the of refugees and refugee applicants who have now
policymakers, which, in turn, distances the latter from the become residents of these cities while also upholding
very reality they aim to regulate. their citizenship rights and dignity, it is imperative to
Thus, whether refugees and refugee applicants secure their inherent right to inhabit urban spaces fully.
participate or not in the process of formulation and This encompasses the right to actively engage in city life,
implementation of municipal public policies aimed with access to all essential services, opportunities, and
at them may interfere, both positively and negatively, advantages that are vital for a dignified existence within
with their effective integration into the community. the urban environment. Moreover, they should have the
Consequently, ensuring the full realization of their right opportunity to participate in the formulation, execution,
to the city may be compromised due to the potential and oversight of urban policies.
inadequacy of government regulations and even their lack As Sister Milesi (2008) and Moreira (2014) accurately
of correspondence with the intended reality. assert that the concept of welcoming goes beyond mere
This paper, therefore, delves into the struggles of hospitality. It implies the assurance of equal opportunities
these individuals for the recognition and effectiveness of and access to essential public services, housing, labor

Volume 9 Issue 3 (2023) 85 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.438