The article's main purpose is to socialize the study undertaken in the Theory of Recognition of the German sociologist and philosopher Axel Honneth, in a postdoctoral Research Center on "Violence and Citizenship" in the Graduate Program in Sociology, from UFRGS, in 2010-2011 period. The goal was to articulate the theoretical research about the "intersubjective and social recognition" with a qualitative empirical research on the origins of the phenomenon of street-living children and youth in urban areas. The hypothesis proposed the primacy of recognition denied to children and youth in situations of social vulnerability in contrast to the argument of unfavorable economic conditions as a main cause of migration to the street life and the occurrence of multiple social conflicts started by this condition. The field research was conducted in partnership with two assistential institutions in Porto Alegre, which offer the Social Educational Support, in agreement with the city government. The results corroborate our hypothesis by showing the inadequacy of public policies on income distribution and social inclusion implemented in a disjointed front of assistential and educational practices, that doesn't contribute alone to decrease urban conflictualities. In this sense, the SASE program, aimed at assisting children and young people from lower classes who experience daily family disintegration, affective abandonment, moral, intellectual and social contempt, contributes to the strengthening of the three dimensions of recognition: love, law and social esteem, reinstating these people to families and society.
Theory of Recognition; conflictualities; street-living; Social Educational Support