Women in Porto Alegre train to fight gender violence
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Twenty women from the Restinga neighborhood in Porto Alegre, Brazil, completed training on September 11 to defend women’s rights and combat gender-based violence.
Themis. Gender, Justice and Human Rights ran the program, which began in May, with support from the Instituto Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, the Restinga Women’s Information Service, and the French Development Agency.
The training covered topics including women’s health, sexual and reproductive rights, domestic violence, the Maria da Penha Law (a Brazilian law protecting women from domestic and family violence), femicide, access to justice, public policies, and community work. Organizers designed the program to empower the women to share their new knowledge within their communities, helping other residents understand their rights and connect with support services. Themis believes increasing access to information strengthens women’s citizenship.
Jéssica Miranda Pinheiro, the organization’s executive director, stated that the new “Popular Legal Promoters” play a key role in spreading knowledge and building support networks locally. After completing the course, the women joined a network of activists dedicated to human rights, equal access to justice, and ending gender violence.
The initiative addresses the fact that access to information about rights and public services is not equal across all areas, and community work can help women in peripheral neighborhoods access existing services and build collective responses to violence.
