About precocious workers

Pressures and moralities in Western Paraná, memories of the last half century

Abstract

This article investigates power relations, evidenced from workers experience, legally defined as children and teenagers. To that end, it evidence images referring to the actions and behaviors registered in the press and lawsuits, in the Western Paraná, between the mid-20th century and the beginning of the 21st century. It addresses social aspects that point to the dynamic of pressures and affirmation of moralities as indicators of the positioning of subjects, exposing the configuration of decisions involving child labor. An analytical path that highlights controversial conduct assumed by those involved in these relations (since the family, the alleged patrons/employers, the public agencies, the police and judicial sectors, beyond means of communication), with emphasis on inconveniences of this historical materiality, confronting them with values promoted in our present. In this plot, visualizes itself occurrences presenting these young workers in the street trade and provision of services, as well as in industrial activities. Circumstances that allow the formulation of inquiries regarding the conditions and senses erected in such conducts.