Domestic violence: the woman who forced Brazil to change
| Rio de Janeiro
Ten years after Brazil enacted landmark legislation combating domestic violence, activists point to the work that remains to be done.聽The Maria da Penha law 鈥� named for a biopharmacist who fought for justice after domestic violence left her a paraplegic 鈥� was considered an extraordinary advance for a culture of machismo. It criminalized聽for the聽first time violent behavior by men and established services to protect the victims. In an interview, Ms. da Penha reflects on the ruling that forced Brazil to change and the challenges that remain.
鈥嬧赌�颁厂惭:听What has the Maria da Penha law accomplished over the last 10 years?
Maria da Penha:聽Most importantly, women now have the courage to stand up and denounce their aggressors, 98 percent of the population know the law exists to protect women and it鈥檚 credited with causing a 10 percent drop in homicides of women at home.
Every major capital in Brazil has adopted and created policies supporting the law. We have special police stations for women that are responsible for investigating and using preventative and protective measures; refuge shelters; domestic violence courts with dedicated judges; restraining orders; a 24-hour helpline; and specialized health care and social centers for supporting victims.
In March 2015, a new "femicide" law criminalizing gender-based murders set tougher penalties and greater protection against those responsible for killing a woman for being a woman.
CSM:聽But domestic violence statistics in Brazil still show progress is slow. Why is that?
MdP:聽Brazil鈥檚 strong machismo culture still pervades our society. Many of those in power are males who do not genuinely support the law, so they take their time to discuss and create, and deliberately slow matters down.
We still don鈥檛 have public policies that compel politicians in medium and small cities to adopt the legislation. So, every year more than 1 million women are victims of domestic violence. And a woman is assaulted every five minutes 鈥� with one murdered every two hours.
CSM:聽What needs to be done for the law to become more effective?
惭诲笔:听Right now, the Institute of Maria da Penha, which I founded, is fighting for greater investment in schools and universities so our children learn to appreciate the law and respect the struggle behind it. We鈥檙e also working to reeducate attitudes in poorer communities to challenge the tolerance of violence with training sessions.
We need to strengthen the structures we already have in place. For example, in some cities, the police station聽for women closes at聽5 p.m. and doesn鈥檛 open on a聽Sunday聽or bank holidays.
CSM:聽Have allegations about sexual assaults by US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump had an impact in Brazil?
MdP:聽It has been a talking point, but it鈥檚 largely peripheral to the political and economic problems we鈥檙e facing right now. Even so, it鈥檚 been encouraging to see the condemnation and outrage against Mr. Trump鈥檚 [alleged] behavior. It鈥檚 useful for women here to see that in countries like the USA, these attitudes still exist, and that it鈥檚 right to challenge this type of conduct and for men to know it鈥檚 unacceptable.
CSM: Are role models important in reforming social mores, or does change come through a ground-up process?聽
MdP:聽I鈥檇 say both, as domestic violence is democratic. It exists at all levels of society. Recently a former Brazilian international model, Lu卯za Brunet, bravely accused her husband of abusing her. It shocked many that a woman of her standing had been attacked. But her courage spurred others to expose their aggressors. Likewise, women in poor communities have stood against the acceptance of violence and helped to change the paths of others who have witnessed their example.
CSM:聽Your experience as a domestic violence survivor brought about ground-breaking change. How did that happen? 聽
MdP:聽My husband attempted to kill me twice in 1983 because I wanted a separation. He shot me in the back, leaving me paralyzed from the waist down then tried to electrocute me in the shower. My fight for justice took over 19 years for him to be arrested and jailed.
My case came to the attention of the Organization of American States (OAS) Inter-American Commission on Human Rights,聽after they read my book about my ordeal. The OAS accused the Brazilian government of negligence in relation to domestic violence and pressured it into introducing the law in 2006.
CSM: Has the change of government with the impeachment of your first female president caused you any concerns?
MdP:聽Under this new government, women鈥檚 rights have taken huge steps backward. The women鈥檚 ministry has been closed. This endangers our ability to monitor and pressure cities to continue promoting the law and creating policies supporting it.
I鈥檓 deeply concerned about the slowdown in certain initiatives, in particular the innovative Casa da Mulher Brasileira (House of Brazilian Women). We have opened three of these one-stop specialized service centers, offering integrated care and support for abused women. Our plan was to spread the project across the country. Now it鈥檚 on hold.
CSM:聽What are your hopes for the next 10 years?
MdP:聽I can only think about the immediate crisis women鈥檚 rights are facing. We need the government to change its mind about marginalizing us, and reinstate the women鈥檚 ministry with all its extensive powers.
