By EVA ALTERMAN BLAY*
Violence against women is a tragic symptom in a society on the verge of destroying democracy
“When you notice a situation of violence against women, you must confront it and stop it so that it does not lead to femicide. No violence against women should be tolerated.” This is the main message of the Lilac August campaign, by the Ministry of Women. The importance of this public policy proposal is indisputable, an initiative that comes to remedy the vacuum created by the previous government that dismantled any and all feminist activities aimed at preventing violence against women and girls.
In Brazil, we inherited a past bathed in blood. For almost 500 years, the right to kill black men and women who dared to rebel against mistreatment by their “owners” prevailed with impunity. For the rebels, the death penalty. It is not surprising the cruel inherited patriarchal violence that prevails to this day and has spread throughout all layers of the population.
The extraordinary increase in femicides and rapes of women and girls is reported on social media, in newspapers and shown on TV in programs that can be seen at any time of the day or night. The theme, dramatized in raw scenes, is almost no longer surprising. And, even worse, it is trivialized by professionals who should punish them (see the Mariana Ferrer case among others).
Since the 19th century, journalists, writers, intellectuals, political activists and feminists have denounced the subordination of women whose freedoms are constrained by the guardianship of their father, husband and even brother. The behavior of patriarchal domination was reproduced among bosses, factory masters, employers, and was even incorporated by fellow political parties (if you have any doubts, read Pagu's statements).
There were decades of struggles by feminist movements to overcome obstacles and gain citizenship – from the right to vote, the election of women to the Chambers, the right to one's own body. Even and especially during the dictatorships of Getúlio or 1964-1985, feminist movements did not fail to face armed opponents seeking to implement human rights for everyone and especially for women.
Militancy taught women that power was in the hands of the State from which they were excluded. In response, feminist movements developed strategies to participate in state institutions and created an original institution, the State Council for the Status of Women (in São Paulo, 1992, and soon after in Minas, and later in almost all states).
Amid multiple demands, actions against violence, machismo and the murder of women were priorities. In the social imagination there was only one way for the popular and middle classes: to turn to the Police Stations. Seeking a lawyer was a service only considered by the rich.
When a woman was severely attacked by her partner or husband, the Police Station was, ultimately, the highest authority. Needless to say, in general, in that institution, women were disregarded, cases were minimized and they were and still are sometimes advised by the “authorities” to go home and stay quiet.
When creating the Women's Police Station (1985), the expectation was that they would be welcomed as people with rights, which in fact occurred after much training. The professionals at these police stations, in turn, and because they are women, had multiple difficulties in having their careers recognized.
Starting in the 1990s, Brazil signed several international agreements that recognized women's human rights, expanding the field of non-violence. The Maria da Penha law is part of the articulation between the Brazilian feminist movement and the international field because, remember, Maria da Penha's attacker was acquitted twice, until the case was taken to the Latin American Commission on Human Rights.
Justice will be done to a large group of feminists who worked hard to ensure that Maria da Penha's case was finally reviewed. The Maria da Penha Law was sanctioned on August 7, 2006, 18 years ago, but during this period hundreds of Brazilian women were murdered and girls raped and killed.
Currently, when threatened with death by partners, husbands, or other men with whom they have emotional relationships, women can no longer bear it and sense the worst, they turn to a judge to obtain a “protective measure”. This protection instrument was highly sought after and found support in the judiciary.
The data shows that: “Brazil issued, on average, one protective measure to victims of domestic violence per minute last year. There were 553.391 documents presented by state courts, according to a survey by the CNJ (National Council of Justice). Despite the number, the country recorded 1.706 femicides in 2023 — an average of almost five crimes per day. As of March 24 of this year (2024), 86.805 protective measures had been issued — an average of 0,72 per minute” (R7 Brasilia).
Of course, these protective measures are important, but they are not enough to eliminate femicide. Aiming to improve service, the police service developed the “Patrulha Maria da Penha”, to prevent attacks on women with protective measures and other threats. This program began in 2012 in Porto Alegre, in 2019, in Rio de Janeiro and, in 2020, in São Paulo.
Finally, the program was presented and approved by the Senate to come into force throughout the country in 2021, four years ago! It hasn't been implemented yet. Although the Maria da Penha Patrol is important and has positive results, it is unrealistic to assume that it will extend to the entire country. Another efficient and feasible measure is the 180 number to assist women in distress or in need of guidance. There is also another telephone line, 190, which connects directly to the police, when the case is extreme and has prevented femicides in Brazil and abroad.
The succinct retrospective on measures to prevent violence against women and girls, made here, highlighted measures to defend and strengthen women. This assessment allows us to point out an important gap: in this context, where are the men? And the boys? If we want to create an egalitarian society that respects everyone's human rights, it is necessary to complete planning with policies and programs for men.
In Brazil, there is a timid male education movement, “reflective groups”, and there are judges who refer men “in situations of violence” to these programs. In 2020, there were 312 reflective groups aimed at referring men who commit violence against women in Brazil. The results indicate that after attending meetings for a few weeks, participants develop new behaviors in their social and family relationships.
If we want to make male behaviors non-violent, non-aggressive, they cannot be expected to reach adulthood. Guidance on gender equality must begin from early childhood for boys and girls: educating and socializing with programs that highlight equality in gender social relations, with respect for differences – class, gender, color, ethnicity.
There is a huge and strong reaction to this type of project. Part of the population, politically right-wing, creates both practical and ideological obstacles. In the legislature, they presented at least two projects: “home education” and “military education”. The first aims to restrict extra-domestic experiences, implying the strengthening of patriarchal, conservative control, preventing religious and sexual diversity. The second also adds critical education and imposes authoritarian behaviors.
Recommending all the long efforts to reduce feminicide and given its growth, it is worth thinking that violence against women and girls is a tragic symptom of a society that is moving towards destroying Democracy.
There is still time to reflect.
*Eva Alterman Blay She is a senior professor at the Department of Sociology at USP and a former senator. Author, among other books, of Brazil as a destination: roots of contemporary Jewish immigration to São Paulo (unesp).
Originally published on Journal of USP.
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