Poverty eradication |
The eradication of poverty and marginalization and the reduction of social inequalities is one of Brazil's fundamental objectives, expressed in the Article 3 of the Federal Constitution (Brasil, 1988). The State must promote the good of all, without prejudice of origin, race, sex, color, age, and other forms of discrimination. The text is cohesive; 86% of Brazilians believe that Brazil's development depends on reducing social inequalities (Georges, 2019)Georges, R. (2019). Nós e as desigualdades: Pesquisa Oxfam Brasil/DataFolha: Percepções sobre desigualdades no Brasil . São Paulo, SP: Oxfam Brasil. Recuperado de https://bit.ly/34okdqI https://bit.ly/34okdqI...
. However, poverty still haunts the lives of Brazilians. Despite the achievements of the past, the numbers have grown again and, today, 13.5 million Brazilians are miserable, that is, they live on less than US$ 1.90/day. In Mato Grosso do Sul, 17% of the population (73,470 thousand people) live in the poverty line, with a per capita household income of R$ 385, and 3% live in extreme poverty (Frias, 2019)Frias, S. (2019, 6 de novembro). Em MS, 3% da população vive na extrema pobreza. Campo Grande News . Recuperado de https://bit.ly/3yHikDy https://bit.ly/3yHikDy...
. There are eight favelas in the state, with five of them in Corumbá (MS), representing 5,767 people (Souza, 2019)Souza, P. N. (2019, 10 de dezembro). Cruzar a fronteira Brasil-Bolívia por Corumbá. Campo Grande News . Recuperado de https://bit.ly/3oYIn4L https://bit.ly/3oYIn4L...
. On the Bolivian side, the situation is even worse, despite the progress that the country has achieved in recent years. There are several challenges, such as access to drinking water and sewage treatment, housing, food, and work, which are critical development factors that call for social innovations and restructuring of public management with the strengthening of governance by valuing community participation and empowerment approaches. |
Social and racial vulnerability and gender equality
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In Brazil, social inequality and poverty act as catalysts for gender inequalities and ethnic-racial problems, creating socially, economically, and culturally marginalized groups. This situation highlights the inefficiency of public power actions, with public policies that do not meet the demands of the most vulnerable society. Thus, social vulnerability has been established as a major challenge for government officials, as new public policies need to be thought out, rethought, and specially operationalized and discussed with civil society. Violence and sexual exploitation of women and girls is a reality in this border area. From street prostitution to houses of prostitution, sex tourism is experiencing a “naturalization”. The civil society, public authorities, the judiciary and the police apparatus are aware of this activity. However, there are few established actions. Exploited women suffer an intersectional action as, besides the gender issue, they are mostly black and poor. |
public health and wellness
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According to data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE, 2018), the mortality rate in Brazil is 6.6 per 1,000 births. In Corumbá and Ladário (MS), this rate more than doubles and reaches 17.8. On the Bolivian side, the numbers have decreased in recent years from 50 to 24, but are still high. This difference is a powerful indicator of the problems that cities need to face in relation to health. Due to the significant cases of rabies and leishmaniasis, the challenges go further infant mortality and involve issues such as dengue, H1N1, abortion, cancer treatment, and animal health. Despite the high population (160 thousand inhabitants), many procedures are not performed in these cities, which depend on the municipalities of Campo Grande (MS) or Santa Cruz (Bolivia). The lack of a neonatal ICU and the limitations of Hemosul in dengue outbreaks indicate the need to rethink the epidemiological health surveillance services in border areas. The Integrated Border Health System (SIS-Fronteira) was created with the aim of improving these services, which have the intention of carrying out a diagnosis of local health and preparing an operational plan for the improvement of the network of health services in border municipalities (Krüger et al., 2017)Krüger, C., Dantas, M. K., Castro, J. M., Passador, C. S.,& Caldana, A. C. (2017). Análise das políticas públicas para o desenvolvimento da faixa de fronteira brasileira. Ambiente & Sociedade , 20 (4), 41-62.doi:10.1590/1809-4422asoc0005r1v2042017 https://doi.org/10.1590/1809-4422asoc000...
. Despite its benefits, this program has not yet been implemented in the region. Therefore, the challenges for different civil society initiatives range from demanding the operationalization of public policies to the distribution of goods and services in support networks. |
Ambiental degradation
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Environmental degradation is the entire process of destruction and removal of native vegetation, generating serious consequences for the fauna that lives in this habitat. This region has the two following large biomes: the Cerrado, which is the second largest biome in South America, with 5% of the planet's biodiversity; and the Pantanal, one of the largest continuous wetlands on the planet (Ministry of the Environment, 2020). So much richness does not prevent the ills arising mainly from activities related to agriculture and mining. In 2019, the Pantanal recorded 334% more fires than in the previous year. Consequently, the temperature increased by up to 6 °C while rainfall decreased by 25% (Oliveira, 2019)Oliveira, E. (2019, 12 de setembro). Pantanal registra 334% mais focos de queimadas em 2019, ano com menos chuvas e intensa onda de calor na região. G1 . Recuperado de https://glo.bo/2wGDKWi https://glo.bo/2wGDKWi...
. In March 2020, the fires tripled. Corumbá and Ladário (MS) lead the national ranking of fire outbreaks. The problem turned into a “conflict of neighbors” in which Brazilian and Bolivian mayors “blame” the fires on each other, as if the fire respected the international limit. Other disasters arise due to deforestation, wildlife trafficking, lack of solid waste management, and water pollution, remembering that this region does not have a sanitary landfill and the commitments for such implementation are slow ("Corumbá and Ladário sign a commitment to deploy a sanitary landfill”, 2019). The BR-262, which is a highway that cuts through the Pantanal, is known as the “Highway of Death” due to the trampling of wild animals. There are, on average, 6 deaths/day and an estimated 3,000 deaths per year (Naujorks, 2018)Naujorks, J. (2018, 20 de novembro). ‘Rodovia da Morte’: Seis animais morrem atropelados por dia na BR-262 que cruza o Pantanal de MS. G1 . Recuperado de https://glo.bo/3cm54bz https://glo.bo/3cm54bz...
. For all these reasons, the shift towards sustainability is driven by heterogeneous approaches and initiatives from the network of civil society actors in the cities and their environmental concerns. Regarding this issue, micro actions dialogue with macro actions, as environmental change is of global interest. |
Zero Hunger and Sustainable and Family Agriculture
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Hunger in an agrarian state is an attention-grabbing practice. Hunger has increased worldwide, reaching 820 million people (Jarvis et al., 2019)Jarvis, A., Loboguerrero, A. M., Martinez-Baron, D., Prager, S., Ramirez, J., Eitzinger, V. A., . . . Tarapues, J. (2019). Situación rural de América Latina y el Caribe con 2 grados de calentamiento. 2030 – Alimentación, agricultura y desarrollo rural en América Latina y el Caribe, No. 10 . Santiago do Chile: Organización de Las Naciones Unidas para La Alimentación y la Agricultura. Recuperado de https://bit.ly/3upKPSO https://bit.ly/3upKPSO...
. Few studies provided a specific picture of this region. However, news regarding the child malnutrition of river peoples, indigenous peoples, and other groups (followed by death) are common. The Goal 2 of the SDG (United Nations, 2015) stipulated that by 2030 we should end hunger and ensure access for all people to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food throughout the year. For this end, it is necessary to value the production of family agriculture, indigenous peoples, and small fisher producers through access to land, credit lines, and public policies that strengthen the market, among others. There are only ten years left for the agreement to be fulfilled. Research shows that Brazil is unlikely to reach this goal and the increase in poverty is an indication (Favareto, 2019)Favareto, A. (2019). A dimensão territorial do desenvolvimento brasileiro recente e os vetores de uma transição ecológica nos marcos da Agenda 2030. IGEPEC.33 (1), 172-190. doi:10.48075/igepec.v23i0.22752 https://doi.org/10.48075/igepec.v23i0.22...
. According to Jarvis et al. (2019)Jarvis, A., Loboguerrero, A. M., Martinez-Baron, D., Prager, S., Ramirez, J., Eitzinger, V. A., . . . Tarapues, J. (2019). Situación rural de América Latina y el Caribe con 2 grados de calentamiento. 2030 – Alimentación, agricultura y desarrollo rural en América Latina y el Caribe, No. 10 . Santiago do Chile: Organización de Las Naciones Unidas para La Alimentación y la Agricultura. Recuperado de https://bit.ly/3upKPSO https://bit.ly/3upKPSO...
, small farmers are four-fold more likely to enter the poverty line compared to other individuals employed in different sectors of the economy. This region has approximately ten groups of producers, mostly settled, which have difficulties in expanding food production mainly due to lack of water and oppression by large producers. The transitions of the productive bases, with attention to nature, the appreciation of families, open markets, and programs that amplify the acquisition of family farming production are at the center of discussions to promote the development of the region and its interactions. |
Education and culture
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Current pedagogical trends have increasingly revealed an intercultural theoretical perspective. This trend seeks to create bonds of appreciation, acceptance, and respect for the most varied cultural manifestations, understanding that there are no superior or hierarchical cultural relationships, but a diversity that needs to be respected and understood. This intercultural perspective is fundamental to reduce gender or xenophobic prejudices through education. The cultural devaluation or depreciation is more evident in regions with great cultural flow, such as in this border, which presents social interactions between Brazilians, Bolivians, Paraguayans, Palestinians, indigenous peoples, and other peoples. This cultural flow, while creating hybridizations, also generates cultural prejudices. Therefore, schools in this region must act in order to promote intercultural relations, prioritizing integration by understanding life and opportunities on the frontier, valuing the sense of frontiers, bilingual education, and the formation of citizens able to live with diversity. Hence the importance of university extension projects to support schools in this endeavor, support initiatives to finance future projects, and other social innovation initiatives that also promote cultural and educational diffusion on the border. |
Immigration and Refugees
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The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) defines immigrants as everyone who enters a country other than their country of origin for various reasons. On the other hand, refugees are "people who are outside their country because of a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or participation in social groups and who cannot (or do not want) to return home" (UNHCR, 2018). This concept expands and encompasses, besides the reasons mentioned, people forced to leave their country due to armed conflicts, gender issues, violence, and massive violations of human rights. According to the UNHCR (2017), there are 258 million international migrants, 25.4 million of whom have left their country as a result of wars, violence, and persecution, which lead them to cross borders and become a refugee. In Brazil, 81,000 foreigners crossed the Brazil-Bolivia border in 2019; out of these, 56 thousand were tourists. Due to the proximity to Bolivia, traffic (coming and going) is constant due to the numerous exchange relationships. There are no border controls for the local population, which leads many immigrants to enter the country illegally. This certain "permissiveness" that favors local exchanges does not exclude xenophobia and racism, which demonstrates the social urgency of the cause of immigrants and refugees and its indispensability in the city. |