APOROPHOBIA: an analysis of the removal of family power from the perspective of vulnerable families

Abstract

This article explores aporophobia (prejudice and aversion to the poor) from the perspective of the removal of parental power in vulnerable families. It analyzes how these lives can influence judicial decisions on institutional care and removal of parental power, based on a specific case of the Public Defender's Office of Rio de Janeiro, in the district of Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ. The study investigates whether poverty was treated as negligence and criminalized, highlighting institutional practices that reinforce the exclusion of these families. Based on Giorgio Agamben's theory of “bare life”, the article reflects on how the State's punitive biases perpetuate marginalization and the cycle of inequality. It concludes that an institutional reformulation is necessary, focused on inclusive public policies, to support vulnerable families and combat social exclusion, while poverty continues to be seen as a threat and justification for extreme interventions.

Keywords: aporophobia, removal of parental power, social vulnerability, bare life, exclusion.