Living with street children in São Paulo

violence and "viração"

Abstract

The text presents the results of qualitative research carried out with groups of boys and adolescents living on the streets of São Paulo, analyzing the pattern of circulation between home and street, the street situations articulated between need, begging and infraction, and the nature and composition of the groups. It argues that the path to the street is a learning process begun in the family, that going to the street reiterates an already known pattern of circulation and that the rules of survival override the alleged reasons for abandonment. It concludes that "viração" structures and articulates the reality of these groups, blurring boundaries between home and street and reinforcing each one's individuality and freedom.