On the right to have rights

Right to come and go – guaranteed by the 1988 Constitution (link), protects the citizen, taxpayer, the person, so that they may go and return, come and go, and move wherever and by whatever route they want and/or need. Recently lost in Curitiba, it is being sought by residents around the Federal Police headquarters in the city.

Right to property – also guaranteed by the 1988 Constitution, grants the owner of real estate, movable property, or any asset, provided ownership is duly proven, the right to possess what they acquired. In other words, with the key in hand, to put it in the lock of the door or gate and enter their property; to put the car key in its door and consequently start the engine, initiating the ignition in order to move about. A right also challenged by some would-be landowners who call themselves landless or homeless.

Right to life – guaranteed to a person from the first moments of life, it is one of the most debated rights, because there are disagreements about the common point of the “first moments of life.” Some refer to fertilization, others to birth. In any case, regardless of when, as long as there is life, it is protected by this right, according to the 1988 Constitution. Recently, the right to abortion has begun to be debated, trivializing life and the right to it.

Right to education – since approximately 1550, under the direction and guidance of the Jesuits in Brazil, schools have been built throughout the country. From Salvador to São Paulo, Santos, São Vicente, regardless of where, only the children of farm owners—that is, whites, Europeans, descendants of Europeans, Aryans—had access to schools and consequently to education. With the end of slavery, the Republic, and modernization, schools opened their doors (although not wide open) to children who met certain prerequisites, such as being 7 years old or turning 7 during the year. The trivialization of teaching and study made learning more difficult (isn’t that incredible?), “forcing” the creation of quotas for self-declared non-white people (descendants of Indigenous people, Black people, Asians…). The right to occupy a school desk subjugated the work of teachers, masters, and educators.

Rights have been stolen, and the people think everything is fine. The Law has remained silent. And you? What have you done, or what are you going to do about it? Remember all of this on the upcoming October 7.