REFUGEES AND THE RIGHT TO THE CITY: THE CASE OF THE WARAO INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN THE METROPOLITAN REGION OF BELÉM (PA), BRAZIL

Abstract

This study aims to understand how Venezuelan indigenous people of the Warao ethnicity have been accessing rights and public services in the urban areas of the Belém Metropolitan Region. The objective of this research is to investigate the access of Venezuelan indigenous people of the Warao ethnicity, who are refugees in Brazil, to rights and public services in the urban areas of Belém and Ananindeua. To achieve the proposed objective, an exploratory documentary research approach was adopted. Initially, an exhaustive search was conducted for reports, guides, technical notes, recommendations, and other documents available on the websites of the municipalities of Belém and Ananindeua, as well as in their secretariats and other public bodies and institutions responsible for regulating the access of Warao refugees to humanitarian shelters in Brazil. The analysis of the documents obtained revealed that the guarantee of rights and access to public services for the Warao people in Belém and Ananindeua are making progress, but still remain well below expectations. Based on the results obtained, it is concluded that there is a need for a collaborative and integrated approach among different actors involved, so that the Warao population in the Belém Metropolitan Region can access basic rights and public policies.