Maria da Penha is a brazilian biopharmacist and was victim of domestic violence by her husband. She fought for years in courts to bring justice to her aggressor and her struggle was used to form a bill that carries her name. The Maria da Penha bill, or Brazil's Federal Law 11.340, is an international landmark on the fight against gender based violence and now celebrates its 15th year anniversary.
Acording to Teresa Leitão, a workers party (PT) state deputy in the state of Pernambuco, the Maria da Penha bill "helped women to recognize something that happens to them. The law was very emblematic because it is named after a woman who was attacked, almost murdered, a woman who reacted and showed her pain. So, I think this stimulated and gave courage to many women to follow Maria da Penha's example."
However, violence against woman numbers are still high. According to the Brazilian Public Safety Forum, every two minutes, a woman is victim of this type of violence in Brazil. With the pandemic, those number rose even more.
Also on this week’s program: the brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, confessed using fake documents which wrongly indicated an over notification of deaths from covid-19 and the publics servants protests against an administrative reform.
Read more: Government changes the Federal Register and hides the company suspected of killing Moïse
On the culture segment we have a documentary about a movie theater turned occupation for homeless people, the Moreno Veloso uprising in brazilian music and two amazing recipes .
All What's Happening in Brazil episodes are available at Brasil de Fato's YouTube channel, where you'll also find a special English-content playlist. Partners who wish to include a longer version of the show in their schedule may contact our international team at [email protected].
For more news about Brazil and our region, visit our website.
