Violência sexual contra as meninas e mulheres das/nas fronteiras e migrantes: um estudo sobre as rotas críticas percorridas no Amazonas

Abstract

We start from the assumption that sexual violence is not limited to physical aggression, but includes any form of violation of another person’s dignity and autonomy, constituting a manifestation of the violation of human, sexual, and reproductive rights. It involves historical, patriarchal, social, and cultural dimensions, as well as intersectional markers that become even more pronounced when considering the Amazonian and border context. This reflects a reality in which sexual crimes remain constant, with a significant increase in reported cases of rape and statutory rape in Brazil, including in the state of Amazonas. Therefore, considering our concerns as researchers and the context in which we are situated, in dialogue with the aims of the human and social sciences within Public Health, this study sought to understand the critical pathways of girls and women from/at borders and migrants in situations of sexual violence, as they navigate health services in Amazonas, based on the narratives of care professionals. We employed feminist theoretical frameworks alongside the concepts of gender, gender-based violence, and intersectionality, articulated with reproductive justice as a human right. Our methodological approach is based on qualitative social research, with the first field site located in the Alto Solimões microregion and the second consisting of an institute in Manaus that supports cisgender and transgender girls and women in situations of violence. The three participants are professionals linked to the network of services for victims of violence in Amazonas. Data were collected through individual interviews using a semi-structured guide, audio recordings, and field notes. Data analysis was conducted through Thematic Analysis, resulting in two major thematic repertoires. The main findings indicate that critical pathways are dynamic and non-linear processes, marked by movements between services, fragmentation of the network, and multiple forms of denial of rights. Access to and continuity of care are shaped by territorial, institutional, and communicational inequalities, especially in border contexts, where factors such as nationality, language, and documentation challenge the recognition of users as rights-bearing subjects. Care is produced in everyday practice beyond formal protocols, through negotiations, improvisations, and mediations, with particular emphasis on the role of network professionals – including migrants – as linguistic and cultural

mediators. In the face of limitations within formal services, informal networks and community- based circuits are also mobilized. It is concluded that the effectiveness of these pathways

depends on the articulation among services and the strengthening of intersectoral strategies that take into account the specificities of the Amazonian context.