Direitos humanos à água e ao saneamento no espaço público: e quando as ruas são local de trabalho?

Abstract

Reducing deficits in access to water and sanitation services involves ensuring these rights in spheres of life beyond the household. Among these spheres is the public space, a place of leisure, passage, work, and housing. In these spaces, the guarantee of the rights to water and sanitation (HRTWS) occurs through the provision of water through public fountains or drinking fountains and public bathrooms. Although it is a recognized need, no legal regulation in Brazil makes the provision compulsory. Therefore, few cities implement these rights, affecting the lives of many people who depend on them. A group that is very neglected in the absence of these services is street vendors. These workers are inserted in a precarious work context and are even more vulnerable when they do not have free water and toilets access solutions. In this context, the present work aims to investigate this group's experience and public authorities' perspective under the lens of HRTWS. For this, field research was conducted in Juiz de Fora, where interviews were conducted with 24 street vendors and six public managers. Surveys were also carried out in Brazilian academic and normative literature to understand the existing reality in general. Preliminarily, it was identified that in Brazilian standards there is no mention of water and bathroom services in public spaces, leaving the interpretation to the government in office. Barriers to physical access and services were identified for street workers in Juiz de Fora, with emphasis on greater negligence among workers who use wheelchairs and women, as their specific needs are not fully met. Furthermore, the brand of “sevirologia” was present in the interviewees’ speeches. At the level of managers, specific aspects were identified related to discourse and action for water and sanitation services in public spaces. However, the HRTWS aspect of accountability has not been fully identified.