Access to social security rights for artisanal fisherwomen in the Pantanal region of Mato Grosso do Sul

experience of the Itinerant Federal Special Court on rivers

Abstract

This research addresses the access of artisanal fisherwomen in the Pantanal region of Mato Grosso do Sul to social security rights, focusing on the role of the Federal Itinerant River Court in overcoming evidentiary barriers and gender asymmetries that render women's work invisible in the fishing production chain. The study aims to analyze how the experiences of these river itinerants contribute to overcoming the obstacles faced by these women in accessing social security. Methodologically, the research adopts a qualitative approach, articulating an interdisciplinary bibliographic review, normative and jurisprudential analysis, as well as participant observation in the editions of the Itinerant Court carried out in the years 2022, 2023, and 2025. In conclusion, the text demonstrates that the traditional and formalistic model of Law tends to reproduce gender hierarchies that hinder the social security recognition of fisherwomen, whose activities are frequently relegated to mere domestic work or "help". In contrast, mobile courts, operating under the logic of an emancipatory and participatory legal pluralism, overcome these obstacles through closer engagement with local realities, valuing testimonial evidence, and conducting judicial inspections. Thus, the results show that this institutional approach ensures recognition of these women's work and enables the granting of benefits such as retirement and sick pay, constituting a strategic and counter-hegemonic instrument for democratizing access to justice.