It’s not just a demonstration. In 2022, the occupation of the streets to defend the lives of women has extraordinary meaning. In these 8 March activities, an order that naturalizes violence, the exploitation of and hate for women is being forcefully contested. This also involves calling on us to imagine and build a world in which femicide, racism and hunger are viewed with horror, and collective responsibility is taken to confront them.
This year, Brazilian women are going onto the streets carrying the weight of accumulated and forbidden struggles – for the 650 thousand COVID-19 victims, many of whose deaths were preventable; for the four victims of femicide a day; for their sons, the young black men who are executed; for so many other deaths resulting from a genocidal, racist and misogynist project that is voraciously advancing over the territories and the bodies of women.
In 2022, Brazilian women are going onto the streets – from where, in fact, they’ve never left – to demonstrate their indignation at a government that does not hesitate to place the interests of the few above the common good, that attacks our fragile democracy in every possible way, that destroys forests, incites violence, manipulates people’s faith, silences, lies and persecutes in the name of power. Women are also going onto the streets to show that they are alert, active and that it won’t be possible to rebuild and transform our country without their political power.
Through its ecumenical commitment to human rights, through social justice and democracy, CESE not only listens to the cries of women, but also strengthens their voices as they echo around the country, through concrete gestures of solidarity for their struggles.
Over the last 10 years, CESE has supported 675 projects from collectives, organizations and grassroots movements, involving activities aimed at women, paying particular attention to black and indigenous women and those from traditional communities in the Northeast region, the Amazon and the Cerrado. We have also strengthened our training, dialogue and networking activities with women’s groups and movements, which translate into organizational strength, joint campaigns for the defence of rights and to confront religious fundamentalism. CESE’s institutional policies for Gender and Racial Equity, which were drafted through the joint participation of the team and Board, have gained more meaning and become more concrete, internally, in external activities and in the partnerships CESE has set up.
On this 8 March and always, CESE, as it cannot fail to be, will also be on the streets For the Lives of Women!
CESE joins 8 March activities and projects messages about rights and justice for women around the country
In recognition of 8 March, Women’s International Day of Struggle, CESE joined forces with a number of collective activities to support women’s lives, displaying a series of projections in different locations around the country. The activity was aimed at raising the profile of women’s confrontations and struggles, given that they have historically been the victims of domination, oppression and racism.
For two years, we have experienced deepening social inequalities, with increased violations of the rights of Brazilian women. A growth in femicide and female unemployment rates; the amplification of hate speech and violence against transwomen and lesbians; the advance of racism and fundamentalism; the destruction of territories, increased violence in rural areas and pesticide contamination all reflect how the country’s capitalist, racist and patriarchal roots have aggravated inequalities and violence against women, particularly during the pandemic.
To celebrate the date, CESE has taken over the walls, buildings and public highways of several cities to denounce persistent violations of women’s rights. The activity drew attention to the Brazilian political and socio-economic moment and how women have become more exposed and vulnerable because of the dismantling of the state, the growth of conservatism and the weakening of democracy.
In addition to denouncements, the projections also spread messages containing affirmations about the struggle, intensifying the political power and voice of Brazilian women in the current political context.
The projections were displayed in four North-eastern capitals: Salvador (Bahia), João Pessoa (Paraíba), Maceió (Alagoas) and Recife (Pernambuco). In two cities in the North: Manaus (Amazonas) and Belém (Pará), in the country’s most populous city, São Paulo (São Paulo state), and in Brasília (Distrito Federal), the federal capital.
The projections contained phrases such as: WOMEN/BLACK WOMEN/INDIGENOUS WOMEN/NORTH-EASTERN WOMEN/QUILOMBOLA WOMEN/WOMEN FROM THE CERRADO/WOMEN FROM THE AMAZON/TRANSWOMEN/PEASANT WOMEN/RELIGIOUS WOMEN/FEMALE WORKERS/DOMESTIC WORKERS/DISABLED WOMEN/FROM THE CITIES/FROM THE WATERS/FROM THE FORESTS to demonstrate the diversity and potency of women on the move.
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See the projections in the video below (in Portuguese):