IWD in Brazil: Acts of Abuse and Violence Against Women Denounced
Many thanks to Maria Carolina Morais for allowing me to share her report of an International Women’s Day eve event in Recife, Brazil organized by 70 organizations “to mobilize women to fight for their rights and to denounce abuses and acts of violence against them.”
“All 70 organizations together prepared a letter with demands such as the rights of women to have equal wages as men and to own land — but for me, the most controversial and important demands were those that focused on violence against women and the decriminalization of abortion.
The state of Pernambuco has topped the rates of homicides in Brazil. According to the state Social Defense Secretariat, in the first 67 days of 2008, 62 women were killed just in Pernambuco and 95 percent of the aggressions committed against females here were committed by men.
Claudia Ribeiro, who is part of the Women’s Group of the Conlutas Movement (linked to the Brazilian socialist party PSTU), told me that the Maria da Penha Law (passed by the president in 2006) can be considered a great victory for women because it legally protects them against sexual and domestic violence. But she also said, “The government has to invest more in women’s police stations, women’s shelters and psychological support because there are still females who neither have access to protection nor are aware of the existence of organizations that can help and support them.”"
You can read more of Morais’ report here.
Filed under: Uncategorized, Commentary, International Women's Day
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