Brazil’s inefficient legal system means it can take tens of years in before sentence is passed.

The Support Person

“Those four months changed my life.”


Who:
Paulina Bengtson
What:
Runs Novahuset, a voluntary association which supports victims of sexual assault.

“Actually, I had a feeling straight away that something was wrong. He looked like someone from the Mafia, not at all as gentle as he’d seemed. But I was gullible and ignored my own warning signals. I was used to trusting people.”


The Home For Young Mothers

“When the girls begin to think about the future, about what they will do when they leave here, then we can stop worrying.”


Who:
Abrigo Rainha Silvia
What:
Offers protection to young women who are pregnant and victims of violence.


The Men’s Organisation

“No African culture supports the violence.”


Who
: Sonke Gender Justice Network
What:
Work with men to stop the violence against women, and to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.


The Mothers

“Why didn’t the police show me the whole of my daughter’s body, just a left foot which was sticking out?”


Who:
Rosaura Montañez
What: Member of a network of mothers who have lost daughters. 

Araceli disappeared on the 30th of June 1995 and was found four days later on a refuse tip on the southern outskirts of the city. She had been raped and strangled. She was 19 years old. No-one has been found guilty of her murder.


The Pioneers

“As far as the politicians are concerned, it’s a reality that doesn’t exist.”


Who:
Casa Amiga
What: Centre for support and advice for women who have been subjected to violence.

She was a retired accountant who settled in Juarez where, in 1993, she began to notice the many reports in the local paper of young girls who had been found murdered and raped. Why was this spate of murders not attracting any attention?


The Statisticians

“Mutilations are the worst.”


Who:
Aurat Foundation
What:
Create the only statistics on violence against women by reading every word of the country’s newspapers.


The Judge

“We see a lot of trifling matters here at the same time as other victims don’t even report serious crimes such as incest.”


Who:
Paloma Mari
What: Is a judge in one of Spain’s specialised courts for violence against women.


The men’s movement

“Violence is about control. It’s the loss of control that triggers violence.”  


Who:
Alexander Gogolkin
What: Leads M21, which works both for greater gender equality, and with the treatment of violent men.