ABSTRACT
People living in the streets, many of whom are crack users, are on the rise in Brazil and other Latin American countries. Such a population suffers from stigmas linked to a perception of fragile character, such as weak willpower to stop drug use, and a dangerous individual feared by society because perceived as an aggressor. The consequences of those stigmas are social isolation, loss of self-esteem, difficulty in accessing health services, which make users withdraw from social and health support, deteriorating their living conditions. Forty-eight interviews were conducted with workers and users of the Street Clinic (Consultório na Rua), which revealed the stigma internalized by people recognized as carriers of the negative traits assigned to them, as well as health professionals’ perception of the stigma suffered by such population. The unveiling of stigmas and their analysis can reorient a set of care practices to ensure fundamental rights in health, education, housing, and work, which underpin citizenship, to promote the democratization and social inclusion process of the stigmatized people living in a situation of extreme vulnerability.
KEYWORDS
Homeless persons; Crack cocaine; Social stigma; Empathy