Processos psicossociais de meninas-mães no Amazonas: a corda da maternidade composta por fios torcidos de (des)cuidados

Abstract

This master's dissertation, linked to the Graduate Program in Psychology at UFAM within the Psychosocial Processes research line, investigates the phenomenon of “girl mothers” – children aged 10 to 14 who experience forced motherhood resulting from sexual violence – in the Amazonian context. The research assumes that pregnancy in this age group constitutes a serious symptom of structural violence related to gender, race, class, age, and territory, and is even considered a form of torture under international human rights law. The main objective is to analyze the psychosocial processes involved in the production and confrontation of this phenomenon, focusing on the mechanisms of silencing, discursive representation (Darstellung), and political trusteeship (Vertretung) that permeate academic, institutional, and activist practices. The dissertation is structured into two interconnected studies, conceived as “threads” that form an analytical rope. Study 1 is an “escrevivência” (Conceição Evaristo) that narrates the researcher’s activist trajectory in confronting obstetric violence in Amazonas, from her standpoint as a Black woman, lesbian, and activist, revealing how the figure of the girl mother emerges as a central axis of denunciation and political action. Study 2 is a scoping review of scientific production in Latin America and the Caribbean (2014-2024), critically analyzing 78 articles through the lenses of Spivak (subalternity), Badinter (myth of maternal love), and Whyte (social organization in contexts of marginality), highlighting the predominance of epidemiological and moralizing approaches that silence the protagonists. The theoretical framework is anchored in intersectional Black feminisms (Crenshaw, Collins), escrevivência (Evaristo), and postcolonial critique (Spivak). The dissertation aligns with the Psychosocial Processes research line by investigating the subjective production of forced motherhood at the intersection of structural violence and public policies. It connects to the macro-project of the advisor, on vulnerabilities in the Amazon, and to Fiocruz’s research on comprehensive abortion care in the SUS and Primary Health Care. The main contributions include: proposing the critical concept of “girl mothers” as an analytical and political category; denaturalizing child and adolescent pregnancy as an inevitable destiny; denouncing the double epistemic and institutional violence that revictimizes these girls; and providing subsidies for professional training and public policies in Psychology and Collective Health. For the Amazonian context – marked by regional inequalities, climate emergency (extreme floods and droughts), and precarious access to health and protection services – this research is urgent and unprecedented, articulating reproductive justice, climate justice, and anti-colonialism. Applicable to professional practices, the study offers tools for ethical listening that avoids revictimization, contributing to the training of psychologists and other professionals committed to the human rights of children and adolescents, especially in the Northern region of Brazil.