Stolen Childhood – Memories of children separated from their parents affected by Hansen’s disease

The video “Stolen Childhood – Memories of children separated from
their parents affected by Hansen’s disease” was produced by the Federal Public Defenders’ Office in support of the Movement for the Reintegration of People Afflicted by Hansen’s Disease (Morhan). The Audio-visual piece frames the consequences of the public policy in force until mid-1980s against the disease, which forced the separation of whole families.
To tell this story, DPU’s team visited the Santa Isabel colony, in Betim
(MG), and surroundings, in order to rescue the memories of former internees’ children. The colony is only one of the many centres for compulsory isolation that have spread through Brazil between 1923 and 1986.

The official policy at the time did not respect the families of people
compulsorily hospitalised. The children born inside the colonies were immediately separated from their mothers and would follow unauthorised paths that many times were unknown to their biological parents. Moreover, there are statements saying that the descendants of the colonies’ internees suffered various types of abuse, having yet suffered as victims of illegal adoptions.

Redress

Even after the end of the segregation policy, there has never been any
redress from the Brazilian State that aimed at improving the quality of life of the millions of “separated children”. Although the State has acknowledged the damage caused to the people compulsorily hospitalised, their children remain without any support.

In their defence, the Federal Public Defenders’ Office proposed a
public civil action (ACP 69995-68.2015.4.01.3700 – 6
th Federal Court/SJMA). It requests that the State implements a policy oriented to the identification and maintenance of archives belonging to schools, kindergartens, orphanages, asylums, prevention homes and hospitals destined to the reception and maintenance of children compulsorily separated from their parents, among other aspects. DPU also calls upon the formulation of a policy assisting the mental and
physical health of these people, in order to reduce the consequences of broken family bonds. As well as the creation of a national linking of databases system for separated children and parents, allowing the reunion of those who had their family bonds broken. The action takes place at the 6th Federal Court of Maranhão.

In July, the entity has also taken part in the action No. 5027109-
19.2017.4.03.6100, along with the 4th Federal Civil Court of São Paulo, proposed in 2018 by Morhan. In addition to the acknowledgement from the Brazilian State of its responsibility for the isolation policy, the action also demands the payment of compensation in monthly instalments in the terms and amounts stated under the Act No. 11.500, 2007, to the separated children, among other measures.

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