whilst conducting research for my dissertation last year, i came across an enlightening and unsettling paper published by amnesty international (Picking Up the Pieces, April 2008) on the many forms of violence that women in the favelas face and their coping strategies; this blog post is a summary of these experiences and others that i came across in my reading.
in the favelas (informal settlements) that surround brazil's largest and most populous cities, violence is an everyday part of life for the marginalised and socially excluded. with their high homicide rates, violent criminal activity, territorial gang warfare, and police shootouts, brazil's cities rank amongst the world's most dangerous and the majority of this violent activity occurs in the favelas.
unsurprisingly the focus of media reportage and social research all too often centres on disenfranchised young men, as both victims and perpetrators of violence, and the situation of women is neglected in this discourse; the issue of violence against women seemingly centred solely on intrafamilial violence--undeniably a very widespread problem and one that is thankfully receiving more attention and action on both a national and international level--but sadly it is not women's only interaction with everyday violence.
the streets of the favelas are notorious for the absence of state institutions and into this power void criminal gangs have stepped and assumed control of communities, imposing curfews and doling out punishments. when the police do make their presence felt they are usually considered a threat rather than a protection for both men and women. women have been caught in the crossfire of armed confrontations between gang members and police and such fatalities are treated with alarming indifference.
in fact, women's contact with the criminal justice system--where corruption is rife and extrajudicial killings are par for the course--is such a negative experience that often women would rather keep quiet than pursue judicial procedures and in many cases they are treated in an abusive and sometimes violent manner by law enforcement officials. in seeking justice women also open themselves up to retribution from within their own communities.
with an increasing number of women finding themselves without a positive male presence in the household, be it through homicide or imprisonment, they are left with an extra burden of responsibility to provide materially and emotionally for the family. this pressure has led women to seek employment increasingly further afield; exposing them to risk on public transport which is often controlled by gang members and also potential violence if they return home after dark. some women have resorted to collaborating with criminal gangs and drug factions for financial gain.
unfortunately, even if they are able to find employment, the pressure on women to manage the household remains. schools can be unsafe due to territorial gang violence which extends into the school grounds resulting in children staying home and women find themselves blamed for poor childcare and family chaos; hence, access to services like education, job opportunities and even healthcare are constrained by violence.
women are both direct and indirect victims of violence which has related consequences on health and wellbeing. its frequency and prevalence have led to a normalisation of violence and means that women often do not identify the abuses that they suffer at home and in the wider community as violations of their human rights, however, women's rights movements have been working to redress that and have a higher profile and greater influence than ever.
the dynamic women's movement and active civil society have led to some positive steps such as the creation and promotion of women's police stations and the passing of new laws that protect women and give them greater access to justice. hopefully, such efforts will encourage and foster the development of further initiatives that will enable women to confront violence without fear, give them a voice, and provide them with the capacity to claim their rights.
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