PATTO, Maria Helena Souza. Human rights and social inequality. []. , 39, 63, pp.185-197. ISSN 0101-3106.

In today's societies marked by deep economic and social inequality, such as Brazil's, this characteristic must be taken into account if we are to understand the undeniable increase in "juvenile delinquency" that took place amongst the most impoverished strata of the population in recent decades. "Juvenile delinquency" is a polysemous expression, which, in its original version, is defined in negative terms, criminalizing its subjects and ignoring their condition of exploited people. D. W. Winnicott made use of the expression "deprivation and delinquency" to define symptoms presented by children and youngsters who were taken away from their parents during World War II so that they could be protected from the bombings in England's largest cities. Today, however, one must reflect upon the nature of the deprivation experienced by a large part of the Brazilian youth. Increasingly deprived of their individual, social and political rights, and prevented from having access to material goods that are highly valued in an individualistic, competitive and consumeristic society, these youngsters strive to conquer them at all costs.

: Social inequality; Consumerism; Deprivation; Criminalization.

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