11/25/2023 – 16:39
On the boardwalk at Copacabana Beach, in Rio de Janeiro, 164 pairs of women’s shoes, side by side, represented a sad statistic. They are victims of feminicide, cases in which people are killed because they are women, a gender discrimination. In the state of Rio, there were 111 cases in 2022 and 53 in the first half of this year.
“It is an act in memory and tribute for us to try to raise awareness in society, in general, about this epidemic of violence against women, in which the apex is feminicide”, he explained to Brazil Agency visual artist Marta Moura, coordinator of the event and representative of the collective Levante Feminista RJ.
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This Saturday’s action (25) marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
Growing violence
Data from the Brazilian Public Security Forum show that in the first half of 2023, the number of femicides in the country grew 2.6% compared to the same period in 2022. There were 722 victims. You rape numbers had a greater increase, 14.9%. There were 34 thousand records, that is, one every eight minutes.
The National Survey of Violence against Women, carried out with 21,700 people and released last Tuesday (21) by DataSenado, revealed that 30% of women in the country have already suffered some type of domestic or family violence caused by a man . Among them, 76% faced physical violence.
For Marta, the statistics camouflage an underreporting of cases of violence. “We have evidence that they are higher because there are many women who experience violence, such as sexual and domestic violence, for example, and who do not file a police report.”
“We need to support these women so they can effectively file a complaint and protect themselves”, added the activist who experienced in her childhood the case of attempted femicide committed by her father against her mother.
Black women
Statistics show that the pain of violence against women is more present in black women. An Amnesty International survey showed that they make up 62% of victims of femicide.
“We are the most vulnerable women in the entire social structure in Brazil, white and sexist,” said Raquel Matoso, representative of the Movimento Negro Evangelico. She highlights that violence is more present when there are transversalities. “Mainly black lesbian women, black trans women.”
Other violence
Activists highlight that violence against women is, in fact, a set of violence, that is, various types of aggression that cannot go unnoticed, whether physical, psychological or harassment.
A survey carried out by the Patrícia Galvão and Locomotiva institutes, in partnership with Uber, shows that three out of every four women have already suffered some type of violence on the move. The most experienced situations are songs and insistent looks.
Marta understands that the lack of awareness of violence against women ends up contributing to underreporting.
“The misogynist machista culture teaches us some naturalizations of some behaviors that are, deep down, violence,” he said. For her, understanding what should not be tolerated is a way to prevent statistics from continuing to rise.
“Today, we can understand that blackmail, oppression in relation to clothes are signs that this violence is already happening. So, information and education would be the way for us to ensure that women who are already in toxic relationships can understand that they are inserted in a context that, unfortunately, could end their lives in the future”, she explained.
Education
Showing women, from a young age, what violence against them is is one of the reasons that made trade unionist Keila Machado participate in the event and take her niece, pre-teen Tamires Bonfim.
“For her to understand the struggles that women have always had to face. It’s important to know because she can now replicate it to some of her friends. It’s a subject that should even be addressed in schools,” said the aunt.
“We also need to teach boys that women are not property. This education from childhood is very important to have a better future,” she added.
Tamires left the event with a commitment: “I’m going to write an essay on combating violence to hand in at school.”
Laws
Rio councilor Monica Benicio (PSOL) considers that the country has reference legislation for the protection of women, such as the Maria da Penha Law, but that this does not remove the need to “always have a debate on the updates and efficiency of these laws ”.
Widow of Marielle Franco, a councilor murdered in 2018, Monica lamented that there are still many cases of women suffering violence even though they are under protective measures determined by the courts.
“Unfortunately, this is a reality for most women who live in situations of violence. The lack of financial autonomy, for example, not being able to have the autonomy to leave your home, from living with your attacker, is a reality. The promotion of public policies that can produce a society where women have financial and life autonomy must be a State project,” she declared.
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