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The Bolsa Família represents Brazil's main social program, benefiting approximately 21 million low-income families with a minimum amount of R$ 600. Due to its impact and recognition, an avalanche of news related to the program floods the media every day, and while some are accurate, others are false.
Currently, a video is gaining prominence online among Bolsa Família participants. In this video, an unidentified woman informs program participants: the federal government is making significant cuts, and only 16% of beneficiary families will continue to receive the aid.
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In the video, the woman also mentions a Bolsa Família ordinance dated August 24, 2023, which supposedly details the planned cuts. Below, see some statements accompanying the video on online platforms:
“Only 16% of current beneficiaries will continue receiving it. Unfortunately, the neediest, illiterate, disadvantaged individuals cannot access this administration’s ordinance.” One variation states: “The ordinance of August 24, 2023, orders an 84% cut in Bolsa Família participants. In other words, only 16 out of every 100 will retain the benefit. Were you aware?” However, is this fact or fiction?
Therefore, it is crucial to verify the authenticity of the claims in the video. In this regard, the “Boatos.org” portal examined whether the government would really keep only 16% of the program’s beneficiaries and investigated the aforementioned ordinance, since this is a topic of great relevance to current Bolsa Família participants.
Will there be major cuts to Bolsa Família?
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The statements in the video are unfounded. The federal government does in fact review the social program’s registry, along with other actions; however, the objective is to prevent fraud involving the benefit.
This manifests itself, for example, when someone already associated with a family tries to enroll individually in the Benefit, seeking to circumvent the system and receive more. The ordinance in question addresses one of these actions to combat falsifications in the records, but at no point does it mention a cut of 84% of participants.
It is worth noting that both the video and the messages circulating on social media have typical characteristics of disinformation, such as a sensationalist approach, grammatical errors, and vagueness.
What does the government ordinance establish?
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A fragment of the ordinance cited in the video indicates the figure of 16% as a ceiling, giving rise to the widespread misunderstanding. See the segment in question and its true meaning:
“A ceiling is established for serving individual families under PBF (Bolsa Família Program) at 16% (sixteen percent) of the total number of families benefiting from the Program in the city.”
Therefore, it can be inferred that only 16% of the total number of beneficiaries of the Bolsa Família may be from individual families, an action to combat fraudulent registrations of this nature. At no point does the ordinance suggest that only 16% of registrants would receive the benefit, with the other 84% being excluded.
