“I don’t have to say thank you for what is my right” : Social movement networks and public policies for migrant women in Florianópolis, Brazil

Abstract: Brazil, like other Latin American countries, has witnessed an increase in south-south migration rates in the last decade. This scenario led to important changes in migration policies at the Federal level – the update of the conservative Foreigner Statute from 1980 to a rights-based Migration law in 2017 is the prime example of how migration flows can contribute to the promotion of rights and strengthen democracy in host societies. Nonetheless, migrants still face numerous difficulties in the Brazilian territory: public servants’ unpreparedness to deal with migratory procedures and the underspending in welfare institutions are some of the major issues hampering the migrant community in accessing their rights. For that reason, host society organizations have been leading the process of providing essential services such as legal counseling and labor integration, on one hand, and forming networks to advocate for government accountability on the other. This study aims, therefore, to contribute to the debate on the role of social movement networks in formulating and implementing public policies for migrants by exploring the trajectory of social movement networks in the city of Florianópolis, Brazil. Despite being one of the main destinations for newly arrived immigrants, the city has not implemented any specific policy to support them, which has led local organizations to join together in networks to demand answers. Stemming from Scherer-Warren’s social movement networks theory and Braun & Clarke’s thematic analysis method, this research aims to explore the role of social movement networks based in Florianópolis in implementing public policies for migrants, with special attention to migrant women, who have been most affected by the absence of a proper reception policy. In order to delve into civil society’s role and limitations in shaping reception policies for migrants, this study will rely on secondary sources such as papers on public policies, migration, and gender, as well as primary sources such as laws and semi-structured interviews with the main Florianopolitan actors in the migration field. The findings indicate that, despite approving important local policies recently, civil society organizations based in Florianópolis remain the main reference for both the migrant community and public servants when it comes to migratory issues. The weakening of political debate spaces poses a threat to the implementation of such policies, and the strengthening of migrants’ participation in these instances might be the turning point for it to be perceived as a priority by the Executive branch.