O serviço de proteção em situações de calamidades públicas e de emergências no atendimento à população nas áreas de riscos e desastres na cidade de Manaus

Abstract

In contemporary times, the understanding and recognition of calamities, emergencies, and other phenomena that lead to disasters are not solely the result of nature, but also of human action. However, the outcome is not the same for everyone; the poorest segment of the population is the most affected, as this vulnerability is caused by social and economic factors and the lack of social protection policies. Social Assistance policy, with its historical presence in vulnerable regions, has significant contributions to make in addressing emergencies, risks, calamities, and disasters. In this context, the topic of this research addresses public Social Assistance policy in situations of risk and disaster, focusing on the actions of the Protection Service in Situations of Public Disasters and Emergencies (SPSCPE) in High Complexity, within the Department of Special Social Protection (DPSE), of the Municipal Secretariat for Women, Social Assistance, and Citizenship (SEMASC), in response to the challenges of public calamities and emergencies. The overall objective is to reveal the actions of the Public Disaster and Emergency Protection Service in assisting the population in areas of risk and disaster, in the face of extreme events and the increase in social inequalities in the city of Manaus. It is worth noting that, at times, this Service operates at the scene of the incident, referring to areas of vulnerability, social, and environmental risks in Manaus. The research approach is qualitative in nature, using an interview guide for the research subjects, who are technicians from the aforementioned SPSCPE. The theoretical framework was structured based on discussions of the following categories: social assistance, risks, disasters, calamities, and territory, from a socio-historical perspective, addressing the importance of understanding protection services aimed at the situations of families affected by risks and disasters within the context of Manaus society. Data analysis was conducted using charts, tables, and content analysis, revealing the difficulties, limitations, and challenges in providing this Service. The activities carried out with the population served and intersectoral actions with other public policies. This study highlights the importance of rethinking the operationalization of the Social Assistance policy through this SPSCPE in the areas of emergencies, risks and disasters, the guarantee of a human resources policy integrated with a policy of training and valuing workers, permeates and contributes to the guarantee and quality of social assistance services, in meeting the rights of users of the Unified Social Assistance System - SUAS.