A exploração do trabalho infantojuvenil nas atividades de traficância: análise da trajetória dos adolescentes a partir dos processos penais em São Luís- MA (2021 e 2022) - lógica da punição ou da proteção?

Abstract

This study analyzes the involvement of children in drug trafficking in São Luís, Maranhão, during the years 2021 and 2022, highlighting the socioeconomic and

institutional factors that contribute to this practice. Using the framework of historical- dialectical materialism, the study aimed to understand the dynamics that lead children

to be recruited into trafficking, analyzing their trajectories based on judicial processes and institutional reports from the Integrated Center for Juvenile Justice (CIJJUV). The research employed a qualitative approach, complemented by quantitative data. The study revealed that the socio-educational measures applied in São Luís, such as remission and assisted freedom, while consistent with the Statute of the Child and Adolescent (ECA), lack structural support, compromising their effectiveness. This scenario reinforces the need for intersectoral public policies that integrate education, health, and social assistance, ensuring comprehensive protection and the fundamental rights of youth. Despite normative advances, such as those advocated by the ECA, children continue to be treated under a predominantly punitive logic, disconnected from the material conditions that structure their vulnerability. Additionally, the lack of intersectional policies limits the capacity of interventions to recognize the specificities of gender, race, and territory, which contributes to the invisibility of even more marginalized groups. The collected data allowed for the proposal of intervention strategies based on the expansion of restorative justice programs, education as the central axis of public policies, and the strengthening of the socio-educational system. Intersectoral articulation was also highlighted as essential to effectively address drug trafficking, with CIJJUV being pointed out as a model that can be replicated in other regions of Brazil. Combating trafficking requires more than criminal repression; it is necessary to transform the structural conditions that perpetuate the cycle of exclusion and violence, promoting concrete alternatives for children at risk. This study contributes to the academic and political debate on the exploitation of children and adolescents in drug trafficking, presenting intervention proposals that value comprehensive protection and social inclusion. The analysis of juvenile trajectories in São Luís offers a panorama that can be expanded to understand regional and national dynamics, reaffirming the urgency of public policies that guarantee full citizenship for children and adolescents.