Last Friday (March 6th), the first class of the Popular Defenders project was launched in João Pessoa/PB. This initiative, run by Fiocruz through its Social Cooperation Coordination, is in partnership with the Secretariat for Access to Justice (Saju), a unit of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP). The project is dedicated to training women in vulnerable situations on human rights issues, focusing on strengthening community leadership and expanding access to justice in their territories. The project is part of "Before It Happens," a priority program of the Federal Government that integrates the National Pact against Femicide in Brazil, and prepares women to know, defend, and enforce their rights. The event will bring together representatives from the Executive and Legislative branches of Paraíba, as well as institutions from the Justice System, such as the State Public Defender's Office, and community leaders.

The Popular Defenders program is based on successful experiences of Public Defender's Offices in promoting community legal empowerment. The pilot project carried out in Ceará, in partnership with the University of International Integration of Afro-Brazilian Lusophony, won the Innovare 2025 Award, which recognizes innovative and transformative practices aimed at strengthening citizenship and expanding access to justice. Now, the methodology is expanding to new territories, gaining national scope. With this expansion, the Federal Government reinforces its commitment to transforming prevention into concrete policy.

The goal is to reach thousands of women across all five regions of Brazil, consolidating a national strategy to promote women's rights, prevent violence, and strengthen local protection structures. In the first quarter of 2026, in addition to Paraíba, where 120 women will be trained, classes will be established in Bahia, Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Norte, and São Paulo, forming a national network of 600 women trained to work on the front lines of combating gender-based violence, in partnership with civil society organizations and Public Defenders' Offices.

"Fiocruz guarantees that the project articulates health, rights, and social participation, which are central pillars of public health in Brazil." As a strategic institution within the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) and a national reference in the production of scientific knowledge and training in public health, the institution contributes to improving the training process by incorporating the perspective of the social determinants of health, popular education, and the promotion of equity,” explains Camila Castanho Miranda, the national coordinator of the project at Fiocruz.

Furthermore, the initiative aims to strengthen community networks and promote greater citizen participation in the territories, contributing to access to justice and the prevention of violence, while simultaneously operating as a strategy for promoting health. Women learn to identify situations of violence—physical, psychological, financial, and sexual—guide other women on how to seek help, and connect those in need with public justice services. In practice, they become a bridge between the community and the system that is supposed to guarantee protection. 

"Strengthening women in their own territories is strengthening Brazil." "When the State invests in training, information, and support networks, it not only expands access to justice but also saves lives and breaks historical cycles of violence," says the Secretary for Access to Justice, Sheila de Carvalho.

Source: Fiocruz News Agency (AFN).