O conceito de “atingido” por barragens - direitos humanos e cidadania / The concept of “affected people” by dams – human rights and citizenship

Abstract

The present article discuss the around the concept of ``affected people'' (atingidos) used specifically to refer to those impacted directly and indirectly by the energetic policy of dam construction in Brazil, and that may serve to strengthen the construction of a understanding of citizenship and human rights of the political subject that claims the concept itself, Movimento de Atingidos por Barragens (MAB), Movement of People Affected by Dams. One of the specific ways that the Movement of People Affected by Dams assumes on its counter-hegemonic posture has been the search for the extension of this concept of ``affected people'' in which consider the impacts and social change implicit in the deployment of a dam, to ensure rights systematically violated in model of development of the electricity sector adopted in Brazil, in fact, in the economic liberal capitalist development model installed in modern society. Through the debate on human rights violations in constructions of dams, we consider that the restrictive definition of ``affected people'' can be a major generator of those violations, it ensures that does not qualify properly families and social groups that should be considered eligible to reparation, and that a fair and appropriate compensation to be carried out.