The Lilac August is a campaign that brings awareness about the battle over violence against women. With this in mind, on August 26th, Fiotec's employees were able to have a conversation about everyone's role in this cause. The speaker who was invited to debate the theme was Ana Beatriz Quiroga, master’s in social policy, PhD student in Political Science, and coordinator of the Violence Confrontation Axis at CODIM and Sala Lilás-Niterói/Maricá.

In her opening remarks, Ana stressed that violence against women is a problem for society as a whole. After all, there are inequalities in power relations, which are sustained and provoked by gender roles, which privilege one over the other. The challenges are current and gender oppression is a structural problem.

According to IBGE data, only 16% of the city councilors elected in Brazil were women. Therefore, the expert points out that it is necessary to talk about public gender policies and the need to increase the number of women councilors to achieve advances in this agenda, both in the legislative and executive spheres.

As was the case of the Maria da Penha Law, considered the third best in the world for the protection of women, created in 2006, and which brought the definition of domestic and family violence, creating the specialized courts, the urgent protective measure (which is issued within 48 hours), and reports the context and types of violence. Please review:

Physical violence - any conduct that offends a woman's bodily integrity or health.

For example: beating, torture, strangulation, throwing objects, shaking, and squeezing arms.

Psychological violence - any conduct that causes emotional damage and diminished self-esteem.

For example: threats, embarrassment, humiliation, exploitation, manipulation, isolation, etc.

Sexual violence - any conduct that forces one to witness, maintain, or participate in unwanted sexual intercourse.

For example: rape, preventing the use of contraceptive methods, forcing a woman to have an abortion.

Asset violence - any conduct that constitutes retention, subtraction, partial or total destruction of your objects, property, personal documents.

For example: controlling money, failing to pay alimony, depriving of property, fraud, etc.

Moral violence - any conduct that constitutes slander, defamation, or injury.

For example: accusing a woman of cheating, exposing her intimate life, devaluing the victim for the way she dresses.

According to a survey conducted in 2021 by the Brazilian Forum for Public Safety and Datafolha, 17 million women suffered some type of violence in the last year in Brazil. "There is no point in violence against women only having a punitive character. We want to change the culture that the woman is an object belonging to someone else. It is a cultural issue," said the speaker.

How can I help?

Call the police in cases of emergencies and aggression. Because in case of being caught in the act, the police can come in and intervene immediately.

Commitment to fighting gender chauvinism and discrimination

Fiotec takes a firm stance against any kind of prejudice or differentiation based on gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or race. Respect and promotion of diversity are among the values of the institution, which has women professionals occupying 61% of its leadership positions. Debates such as the one promoted on August 26th are part of Fiotec's constant effort to make its employees aware of issues that directly affect people's wellbeing and mental health.

This information and many others are in the recently published Institution's Activities Report. The document gathers data on Fiotec's performance in 2021, its institutional initiatives, and its relationship with partners and society. For further information, please click here.