Ethical Issues In Sao Paulo

Ethics are moral principles that govern a person's or group's behavior. They are a part of one’s worldview and greatly affect how one interacts with the world. A typical Brazilian in Sao Paulo will derive his or her ethics from a deistic worldview, which will guide their behavior in regards to ethical issues such as prostitution or poverty. The immense growth of favelas, meaning shanty towns, in Sao Paulo throughout approximately the last 40 years, almost doubling in quantity, gives evidence to the growth of poverty. The population of people living in favelas was estimated to be around 2 million in the late 1990’s. A more recent census report from 2007 showed that the number of shanties within the favelas went from 14,504 to 377,236 since
1973. An interesting contrast to the poverty within Sao Paulo is the immense wealth right next to the slums. There are vast amounts of skyscrapers showing the prosperity of the upper class while there are huge favelas close by full of shanties piled on top of each other, chaotic and dirty. There are also old converted houses and factories called corticos where families will share a single room that is often infested with rats or cockroaches. Although favelas have become a much more common form of housing for people in poverty, corticos are still present throughout the city. A non-governmental organization worker describes the slums when he or she was there in 1997: “I am in São Paulo. Staying in the Batista community centre in the Heliopolis favela (slum). often crude shelters under viaducts or bridges. There is the beginnings of one along the wall of the hospital, where there are shacks…Third-stage are much more substantial and permanent looking. The building material is mostly brick block. However, people are squatters in all the favelas. They do not own the land on which they have built.” The close proximity of the rich and poor is a perfect picture of the substantial gap between the poor and the rich in Sao Paulo. There is not a very significant presence of people in the middle class. This issue of poverty in Sao Paulo is definitely worthy of attention with about 19.8% of the population living in the slums. The government of Brazil has taken notice of the need for improvement and has put different programs and solutions in place to assist in the terrible poverty situation. Government officials have worked together to discover the means for “slum upgrading.” Their efforts have included working with Cities Alliance, which is a global alliance working towards the reduction of poverty, and the creation of a system by the São Paulo Municipal Housing Secretariat that keeps the government up to date with the condition of places in need of some revamping, especially the favelas. The government has also put social welfare programs in place, specifically Bolsa Familia; “Its four sub-programmes (educational stipends to boost school attendance, maternal nutrition, food supplements and a domestic gas subsidy) benefit some 30 million of Brazil's poorest people, with a target of 44 million by 2006.” These measures taken by the government to begin improving life in the favelas prove that the people of Brazil take the problem of poverty seriously. But maybe they are not taking it seriously enough. The government has given plenty of help to people in poverty, but it is not apparent that the government has given poor people the opportunity to get out of poverty. The unemployment rate in Brazil is at an all-time high of 11.8%. The natural progression of unemployment leads to lack of economic growth for individuals, and that combined with immigration and income inequality leads to poverty and the inability to purchase housing. This progression results in slums full of poor people who are unemployed and only able to depend on the government and charities for help. By examining these circumstances of poverty and how they are dealt with within Sao Paulo, one can gain insight into the stances of the Paulistanos on different ethical issues.
Now, the government has put in much time and money in order to help the poor. This could hint that they think good works are important, which would reflect on the original Catholic religion in Brazil. However, their methods are not personal nor do they provide long-term help for the people in poverty. Momentary relief would be provided, but then the people will keep needing more help and will have to depend on the government. This neglect of thinking about the long-term effects of their actions on the poor people does not reflect true care of the people based on love. A more religious based worldview, such as that as of Catholic’s, might influence one to act more out of love. Brazil, however, has been shifting to a more deistic worldview, which is not necessarily based on love. Just like cultures throughout the world, Brazil’s culture, based on some evidence, is becoming more focused on “what makes me feel good.” As more of Sao Paulo’s and Brazil’s actions on ethical decisions are examined, one can learn more of a typical Paulastino’s worldview. Another prominent ethical issue in Sao Paulo is prostitution. Brazilians are generally well known for being promiscuous, so it may not surprising that prostitution has been a legalized profession in Brazil since 2000. The Brazilian Ministry of Labor changed
the Brazilian Classification of Labor to label prostitutes as “sex professionals.” That change can also reflect the change from Catholicism to deism determining the normal worldview of a Brazilian. Brothels are not legal, but they are quite numerous. The government has put some restrictions on prostitution mainly for the purpose of preventing child prostitution and to protect prostitutes from being sexually exploited. Part of this government action has been influenced by Gabriela Leite, an ex-prostitute. The Gabriela Leite law was presented by Jean Wyllys in 2013 and passed. “The project would not only put an end to the terrible situations which prostitutes are subjected, but would also help to avoid child prostitution and human trafficking for sexual exploitation. The Gabriela Leite law also emphasizes the urgency to regulate prostitution houses and the difference between sexual services and sexual exploitation.” This law was especially important in Brazil because it is often recognized for its sexual tourism, which could make sexual exploitation of the prostitutes easier. Sao Paulo does not have the most points that are at risk for sexual exploitation. Out of the 1,820 points of risk in Brazil, Sao Paulo has 52 points. Rio de Janeiro, in comparison, has 98 points of risk. The city with the most points of 168 is Paraná, which is located to the south of Sao Paulo. With the legalization of prostitution in Brazil, the country has become known for its “sex tourism.” When there is a large influx of tourists from different events such as the World Cup or the Olympics that just recently happened, the opportunity for sexual exploitation and child prostitution is much greater. The Brazilian government is aware of this and the need to address it. The Gabriela Leite law is one part of the government’s effort to help that situation. Brazilians, in general, do believe that forced prostitution of both children and adults is wrong based on the evidence given. However, it does not appear that they believe it is wrong because of the specific act of sexual exploitation but rather because a person is forced to do something against their own will. This mindset could be interpreted from the knowledge that “The Brazilian government turned down $40 million in U.S.
anti-HIV/AIDS funding in 2005 because the U.S. government required all recipients to sign an anti-prostitution pledge. The Brazilian anti-AIDS program employs prostitutes to hand out information and free condoms.” Brazilians, as represented by their government, do not seem to consider prostitution as bad. There could be several reasons for this worldview. Perhaps prostitution is the only way for some Brazilians to get out of poverty or maybe a brothel is the only place they can go to get off of the streets. Or maybe some Brazilians just prefer the life of a prostitute and living for sexual pleasure. Maybe it was the only job they could find. Whatever the reason, the growing popularity of prostitution and brothels in Brazil reflects a certain worldview of the country. Their actions in regards to the issues of prostitution also reflect their overall worldview. Poverty and prostitution are major ethical issues in Brazil. Examining these issues in Brazil and how they have been dealt with can provide insight into the ethics of Brazilian culture and also the ethics of Sao Paulo. The moral standards determining the behavior of a typical Brazilian can be linked back to his or her worldview, which would commonly be based upon deism. A deistic worldview will affect one’s actions when dealing with issues that challenge one to make a moral decision, such as whether
or not to legalize prostitution or how to assist people in poverty.