Jason M. Johnson and Dr. Darren G. Hawkins, Political Science
During the 1980s Brazil made unprecedented advancements in the area of domestic violence. It was the first country to open women’s police stations staffed by female police officers and established an executive council where feminists could discuss policies for problems like violence against women. Yet, despite these early achievements which sprang from a strong women’s movement, Brazil remains one of only three countries in Latin America without a law prohibiting violence against women. The purpose of the ORCA research was to determine the effectiveness of the two-pronged strategy for domestic violence legislation, characterized by women simultaneously pressuring inside and outside the government, used from the 1980s to the present. Through my research I concluded that the twopronged approach is not obsolete; instead, women are not maximizing the potential of their pressure points inside or outside the government.
The foundation of my research consisted of earlier writings of feminist scholars such as Alvarez and Caldeira who examined the two-pronged approach in Brazil. However, since their research only covered the feminist movement through the early 1990s, I sought more current information. I interviewed Brazilian diplomats with whom I had previously interned but received little helpful feedback. In addition, my correspondence with other Brazilian government leaders and members of international organizations and women’s groups provided few new insights. The bulk of my findings came from exhaustive searches of the Brazilian newspaper O Estado de Sao Paulo and an on-line Brazilian feminist journal entitled Jornal Femea, published by the Centro Feminista de Estudos e Assessoria (CFEMEA). I gleaned information from over one hundred articles since 1994 related to domestic violence in order to understand the current strategies and practices of feminists.
The core problem of the autonomous women’s movement is that its efforts improve women=s lives in the immediate term, such as providing medical assistance, shelter, or counseling to victims of domestic violence, or have potential to transform Brazil in the long term, such as re-educating the entire Brazilian society about proper gender relationships. However, as a whole, women’s groups do not focus on changes in the intermediate term, the category to which domestic violence legislation belongs.
This conclusion stems from an analysis of three women=s organizations which typify three distinct approaches to domestic violence in Brazil. The first, Rede Mulher da Educacao, seeks to educate society about the role of men and women.1 While its work is formidable, its policies do little to deter violence against women now. At the other end of the spectrum are a class of NGOs that provide immediate attention to domestic violence victims. One of the most celebrated of these, Asbrad, gives assistance to impoverished women.2 The Asbrads of Brazil do improve the lives of thousands of women, but their lack of resources renders them unreliable and often fleeting. Moreover, these types of organizations rarely prevent a reoccurrence of violent behavior.
Of the feminist approaches I surveyed, CFEMEA seems to strike the best balance. It ensures that the feminist element is represented in Congress, having monitored over 215 pieces of legislation during the last session.3 In addition, it articulates the feminist agenda and organizes a domestic women’s network through its publications. Unlike other organizations, it establishes violence against women as a principal concern and advocates that the fight against domestic violence must be waged with three time frames in mind—short-term, intermediate, and long-term.
Like women pressuring from without the government, feminists who have gained government spaces have not taken advantage of their pressure points. The greatest example of this is the Conselho Nacional dos Direitos da Mulher (CNDM) which, once considered the funnel of the progress during the 1980s, is now financially and structurally weak.4 A recent reorganization of this executive council renewed hope that Brazilian women would again have an important voice in the executive branch. But recent statements indicate that, similar to women=s groups, Council members see change from a longterm or immediate perspective. It is disconcerting that unlike its Chilean counterpart which successfully implemented a law against domestic violence, the CNDM has yet to recommend domestic violence legislation.
Feminists within the legislature could also do more to push forward the cause. Nearly all female legislators sit on committees, a great number chairing them. While their influence is often squashed by machista politics, it is disappointing that they have not called for legislation prohibiting domestic violence in the last two sessions.5 In the current session the three pieces of legislation related to family violence deal with defining domestic violence, creating family peace pacts, and providing women protection from their spouses.
This research has posed a question which must be explored in a subsequent study: why hasn’t a law against domestic violence been proposed? To accurately answer this question, it will be important to understand the concerns of Brazilian women both inside and outside the government. Perhaps they have sought long-term and short-term remedies because they believe that an attempt to enact legislation would be futile under the political and judicial conditions of Brazil. Whatever the cause of concern, the two-pronged strategy will be effective only if women realize the power of legislation protecting them from the abuse that has plagued them for generations.
References
- Rede Mulher da Educacao. 2000. AInstituicao.@ At http://www.redemulher.org.br.
- Estado de Sao Paulo. May 19, 1996. Familias carentes encontram apoio. Net Estado. At http://www.estado.com.br.
- CFEMEA. 2000. ALeis e Projetos.@ At http://www.cfemea.org.br.
- CFEMEA. 1999. CNDM: Uma situacao critica. Jornal Femea. 78 (July). At http://www. cfemea.org.br.
- CFEMEA. 2000. ALeis e Projetos.@ At http://www.cfemea.org.br.