Vulnerabilities to illnesses in women living on the border of the Guiana Shield mines

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the the vulnerabilities to illnesses in women living on the border of the Guiana Shield mines: Brazil, French Guiana, and Suriname. Method: Descriptive, exploratory field study with a qualitative approach. Data collection took place with 19 women who were living in the mining context, in April 2018. The interviews were recorded and transcribed in full and subsequently analyzed in the light of the concept of vulnerability. Results: Women aged between 30 and 39 years, predominantly black and brown, on a common-law marriage, multiparous, of low level of education, and with work activities related to mining. Three empirical categories emerged: Exposure to environmental and life conditions in the mines: vulnerabilities to illnesses in women; Sexual and reproductive health in the context of borders: the invisibility between legality and illegality; Gendered facets of violence in the mines on the border of the Guiana Shield. Conclusion: Vulnerability is marked in the three dimensions of the concept: in the difficult access to health services, in the discontinued treatment, and in the disparity in health policies within countries, which are important aspects of vulnerability and health conditions.