O lugar da fé no combate ao tráfico de pessoas e à migração forçada: estudo de caso do Instituto de Migrações e Direitos Humanos de Brasília

Abstract

This dissertation intends to offer a contribution to studies that combine migratory phenomena and religion. The research, in addition to consulting the specialized bibliography, uses data and information from documentary and field research. It also analyzes the change in attitude of the Catholic Church and its agents, in the past and in the present, in the face of slavery, as well as addresses the changes that have occurred since the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council (1962-1965) and the advent of Liberation Theology, which made the Church take a different look at the marginalized and migrants globally. In this context, the work of the Institute of Migrations and Human Rights (IMDH) in Brasília, a Catholic organization dedicated to supporting and working on behalf of people in situations of great vulnerability, especially migrants and victims of human trafficking, emerges. The research also visits works by authors such as Gomes, to support the issue of slavery in Brazil; Bauman and Eco were used to better understand the condition of migrants and refugees. Studies by Milesi and Andrade, Coury, Paula and Rovery, Medeiros and Pinheiro supported research on the work of the IMDH in assisting migrants and refugees and in combating human trafficking. Finally, Boff and Löwy contributed to analyze Liberation Theology and the social pastorals of the Catholic Church. The central question that this research seeks to answer is to understand the religious motivation that guides the actions of IMDH members. We start from the hypothesis that the ethical and spiritual motivation of the members of this organization is a decisive factor to understand its commitment, going beyond merely confessional motivations. We finally conclude that IMDH members seek, in addition to welcoming people in vulnerability, to develop actions to improve or transform the social structure, so that it pays more attention to the poor and marginalized