Human development goes beyond its physical aspect. Did you know that we are the only beings who need affection for survival? Yes, for survival! If a baby has all its physiological needs, such as hygiene and food, met, but without a minimum relationship of affection and human interaction, it could die. Our human development, which will define our survival or not, depends on emotional relationships. A child who is not touched, caressed, looked in the eye, or to whom affectionate words are not directed, will not develop fully.
This relationship between affection and physical, cognitive, emotional and social development has been widely researched over the last 60 years. What is certainly known is that the deprivation of secure, affectionate relationships, especially in early childhood, will lead to permanent damage. One of the points of great discussion in this area is the impact of this damage on society. The social impact of individuals who have grown up deprived of secure emotional relationships has to do with education, health, the economy and even public safety.
We can see, for example, the attention companies pay to the emotional capacity of their candidates. Since emotional capacity is intrinsic to every human being, technical issues can be learned. However, emotional damage is difficult to change in adulthood, which can directly affect the work environment and make it more or less collaborative and productive. Therefore, emotional life and its impact is becoming increasingly important and real in the world we live in.
This is a universal reality that affects each of us as human beings. Likewise, the deprivation and neglect of secure emotional relationships can be present in any context. Such neglect, therefore, can happen in the context of a family that takes very good care of a baby's material needs. For these cases, our reach as a society and government is limited and almost impossible to see and pinpoint in real time. However, there is another social reality that is within our reach. There are thousands of children who are not only deprived of secure emotional relationships, but are also in a situation of extreme vulnerability and neglect, as well as suffering from abuse. These children are usually sent to institutional care, as a protective measure for their rights and physical integrity. However, this protective measure does not adequately meet these children's emotional needs.
This is not about the quality of institutional care, but about its format and a side-effect consequence. In institutional care, it is not possible to provide personalized emotional care for each child.
Brazilian legislation, in the Statute of the Child and Adolescent (ECA), contains articles that guarantee the right of children and adolescents to live with their families. As such, in addition to institutional foster care, which although adverse in some respects is still necessary, there is also family foster care, which is considered preferential. In this modality, the child is cared for in a personalized and comprehensive way by a family. Family foster care is social work within the reach of any person and family. It is a real opportunity to act as a citizen, where the family opens its heart, as well as its home, to temporarily take in a child until they return to their family of origin or a substitute family. By opening up in this way, the family creates opportunities for a different future for the child's life. This experience can, in fact, shape a different adult in a society so lacking in real values provided by affection.
By sowing love, we can reap a world with more love. We can contribute to the formation of people with their affective and emotional issues preserved, developing basic skills for a healthy life, for a safer and more autonomous walk. It's good to stress that love and care are learned and vital to human life. So let's teach it as we go, giving it away in everyday practice. Love is the only thing that grows when you give it away.
Be an agent for transforming lives!
Be a welcoming family!
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