BETWEEN WHAT I NEVER HAD AND WHAT WAS TAKEN FROM ME: VULNERABILITY, WELCOME, AND REINTEGRATION

Abstract

This study portrays the sad reality of adolescents housed in institutional shelters who are constantly victimized by the State, which, by legal imposition, upon reaching 18 years of age, will push them into a new form of vulnerability. It exposes an incongruity between what the legislation promises and what is effectively delivered in the social reintegration process of these young people who have not had their most basic affective and structural rights guaranteed; that is, they will be abruptly violated again by legal mechanisms that will deprive them of what they never had. The central question of this work then arises: do the measures foreseen in the ECA (Brazilian Statute of Children and Adolescents) and current legislation truly protect and include these young people at the time of compulsory discharge? The general objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of protection and social inclusion measures applicable to the reintegration of young people leaving institutional care. Specific objectives include: understanding what challenges arise immediately after discharge; verifying where public policies fail in their follow-up; observing what support actually reaches the young person; and identifying possible changes in the protection network. The methodology used is qualitative and documentary, based on the analysis of the ECA (Brazilian Statute for Children and Adolescents), related legislation, and thematically relevant bibliographic sources. The aim is to contribute to building safer and more dignified pathways for young people entering adulthood without family support, strengthening assisted transition mechanisms and reducing the impact of institutional disruption.