Pela Vida das Mulheres: Violence Against Women and the Struggle for Justice and Care in Urban Brazil
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Date
2024-08-07
Authors
Masucci, Emily
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Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
In 2006, Brazil passed what is considered one of the most progressive policies on violence against women (VAW) in the world: the Maria da Penha Law. Among its provisions, the Maria da Penha Law called for the creation of an network of gender-specialized services—exclusively for women in situations of violence. Integrating women’s police stations, domestic violence courts, women’s centers, and emergency shelters, this unique policy framework has since garnered international recognition. Yet, by most measures, rates of VAW and impunity in Brazil continue to register among the highest in the world, especially among low-income women of color. Recurring VAW has generated skepticism among women, social movements, and scholars alike, who perceive fundamental limitations in a) the degree to which gender-specialized services serve women of diverse racial, ethnic, and class backgrounds, b) the fragmented and uneven implementation of the law in practice, and c) the law’s capacity to withstand shifts in Brazil’s volatile political landscape.
This multi-sited research investigates the relationship between gender-specialized services, women’s movements, and outcomes of justice and care for women in situations of violence in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Specifically, it investigates why has it been so hard to effectively implement the reforms outlined in the Maria da Penha Law in Rio de Janeiro. How do “gaps”—between the law on paper and in practice—come to be and how do they impact the state’s ability to effectively render gender-specialized services for women in situations of violence? And how do people respond when they perceive that the state is unable or neglects to concede the rights and services mandated by the law? To do so, it couples a) an investigation of the institutional and political constraints that shape gender-specialized services through interviews with service professionals and differently situated state actors within the network; with b) long-term participant observation and interviews with women activists who are addressing recurring VAW having found they cannot rely on the state for protections or access to rights. Together these perspectives reveal important patterns in the everyday process of providing and accessing gender-specialized care. Ultimately, it is important to understand the contexts and conditions that constrain such efforts so we can develop reforms that are not only progressive on paper, but effective and sustainable in practice.
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Keywords
Brazil, Feminisms, Gender Reforms, Justice, Violence Against Women, Women's Movements