Circulation of children and adolescents in downtown São Paulo:

Street children and adolescents circulate through public facilities in a movement that highlights tensions between protection and guarantee of rights on the one hand; disciplining and guardianship of their freedoms on the other. The objective of this research is to analyze the trajectories of children and adolescents living on the streets in downtown São Paulo, especially those who have needs of attention resulting from the use of alcohol and other drugs, as a way to problematize their encounters with public policies. For this purpose, the circulation of children and adolescents was mapped highlighting two different ways of life: that of a boy who lives "alone" around Cracolândia; that of boys and girls who live in a group around Praça da Sé. The children's itineraries were traced from their encounters (and mismatches) with the mental health service team, when in displacement to the most vulnerable territories. The tensions between the modes of government carried out by different policies (health, social assistance and security) and the nomadism of the children were analysed.