Territory and public policies

reflections on the construction of practices capable of influencing the initiative of lethal violence against young people in Brazil

Abstract

The 2020 Violence Atlas shows that, in 2018 alone, 30,873 young people were victims of homicides in Brazil, which means a rate of 60.4 homicides per 100 thousand young people and 53.3% of the country's total homicides. It is noteworthy that 75.7% of homicide victims were black. When analyzing homicide rates between 2008 and 2018, data from the Violence Atlas also demonstrates that homicide rates increased by 11.5% for black people, while for non-black people there was a decrease of 12.9%. Given the historical persistence of homicides against the black population in Brazil, it is imperative to implement public policies that contribute to the transformation of this reality. Considering my work in the field of public security, especially my work as a technician in leading the implementation of the Fica Vivo! in a location in the city of Belo Horizonte, I seek to present in this article an initial investigation into the interfaces that exist between territory and public policies in the creation of practices capable of influencing the initiative of lethal violence against young people in Brazil. Constituting territorial public policies that address both the conflicts inherent to social coexistence, as well as the duty of the State, the responsibility of everyone and each one in guaranteeing rights is a constant challenge of the work of composition in other ways of coexistence; ways that allow us to glimpse the growing improbability of war and death and, in this way, the daily constitution of a democratic policy aimed at the universal and equitable protection of life.