Migration and work: the condition of the Haitian population in Lages-SC

Abstract

This article analyzes the migration process of Haitians to the municipality of Lages, in the state of Santa Catarina, with a focus on labor relations. The study is based on authors who dialogue with the proposed theme, especially through Haitian Marxist thought, offering a materialist perspective rooted in an anti-colonial critique. Haiti, embroiled in a sequence of economic crises, social tensions and colonial and imperialist interventions, is witnessing a historic movement of emigration, which is heading towards Brazil after the devastating earthquake of 2010. Within this context, the municipality of Lages/SC receives a significant group of Haitian migrants. The Haitian migration phenomenon began in the municipality, led by men working in industrial jobs, who took on the responsibility of raising funds to bring their families and financially support those who remained in Haiti. Later, the migratory flow began to include women and children, relatives of the migrants living in the municipality. Reports indicate that there is overexploitation of the migrant workforce in the Lages/SC labor context, as well as the presence of racial discrimination in these environments. This investigation seeks to highlight the condition of the Haitian population in the municipality of Lages/SC in a critical way, in order to promote the visibility of migrants in this territory.