Refugees and access to employment in Brazil: implications for health and sociability

Abstract

This is a reflective study with the objective of analyzing the possibilities of access to employment by refugees in the Brazilian territory, in view of the socio-legal conditions in Brazil, understanding the relationship between work and health. Refugees experience the penalty of restricted access to employment, which has a significant impact on their lives. By remaining disconnected from work, they are pushed to the margins of society. In addition to this, they face difficulties in accessing adequate housing, healthcare services, education, healthy food, among others, all of which deeply affect their way of life in a foreign country with a different culture. The work becomes relevant in the discussion about access to health, goods and services necessary to live with dignity, and its implications in the work-health-disease relationship. Collaborative actions at a global level are necessary to ensure that employment opportunities are available for refugees. In this regard, this reflection articulates two basic ideas: the recognition of the importance of work in social life and living conditions, and the understanding that the determination of the health-disease process goes beyond the biological and individual choices, having historicity and a social and cultural character.