This ongoing social documentary project follows the children and young adults living in the Santa Tecla social district in Braga, Portugal.
In 2018 the neighbourhood had 485 inhabitants, out of which 332 were of Roma ethnicity. The population is rather young: 249 are under 30 years old and of these 155 are minors.
The community remains a closed one and does not welcome outsiders easily. This, in addition to the low resources and lack of education, has made access to employment very difficult, with 68% of the population experiencing unemployment (the regional inactivity rate is 38.4%). The traditional source of income from working at the street fairs is decreasing, leaving families further reliant on RSI (social security).
In addition to the difficulties inherent to the population there is still great discrimination towards the Roma. Public and private entities often fail to understand and support the community, or direct work in an articulated way. Doubts of the rights and obligations of this population, as well as conflicts with social support systems and educational institutions, are frequent and these issues are not adequately addressed.
- Carina Silva
(translated and edited by Noora Mänty)
