"Save women, save the world"

In light of the colonialist oppression exerted on Palestine and the resistance of women (grandmothers, mothers, daughters, and granddaughters) against the cruel genocide underway in the Gaza Strip, I consider it important on this March 8th to revisit the theme of women, subalternity, and exploitative patriarchy.

Unfortunately, violence against women is increasing every day, which is serious and frightening, as every minute one of them suffers some type of violence, whether physical, moral, psychological, or financial.

Women are the majority in Brazilian and universal society, yet, in the 21st century, they still struggle to overcome the inequalities imposed upon them by patrimonialism.

According to IBGE data, the largest number of unemployed people are women, which limits many of the poorest women to working as domestic servants; and, perversely, when they enter the regular job market, they earn less than men.

The reality for women is very harsh. However, I recall two headlines that, almost fifteen years ago, filled me with hope that the struggle and resistance for a better world are worthwhile: 1) "Save women, save the world"; and 2) "Today, Roundtable for the 20th Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child".

There's no need to write another line, as the journal headlines summarize everything. However, both topics require some reflection, however brief, because they are inherently interconnected.

Given the colonial vision that still prevails in Brazilian society, a debate regarding the marginalized groups under patriarchalism is urgent and necessary. This is the path for the country to truly resume social progress (paralyzed after the 2016 coup against President Dilma Rousseff, the only woman to preside over the Federative Republic of Brazil), and the current democratic, popular, and progressive government of President Lula is fighting to recover lost time, cynically called the "lost decade" by those who supported the machinations that destroyed the Brazilian economy starting in 2013.

As the 21st century progresses, Brazilian society insists on combating the poorest through criminalization policies, instead of seeking to understand that poverty and misery are some of the main causes of our historical ills, stemming from the choices of the country's backward ruling class. In this way, by maintaining a simplistic and superficial view, we miss the true origin of the impasses we should be facing.

At this point, it is important to note that the Brazilian ruling class has always opted for underdevelopment and has never bet on inclusive growth, which could become a reality for everyone if conditions were offered for the emergence of a working class capable of boosting the economy and national development. In this scenario, everyone would win; but this goes against the interests of a society permeated by conservative and reactionary segments, including a significant portion of the middle class, which feels threatened by the inclusion of the poorest.

This is exploited by the country's "elite," whose thinking is geared towards colonizing countries, and who continue to hinder the progress of Brazilian society, believing it is possible to control the majority of the population, which, on its own, has no way to prosper and develop.

In the early years of this century, when there was an attempt to change this colonial logic and provide workers with a real increase in income, along with the implementation of public policies for the effective increase of the minimum wage, in addition to the creation of public income distribution programs, a great political unease began, amplified daily by the hegemonic traditional media, giving rise to a spiral of hatred that pitted Brazilians against Brazilians and fostered the resurgence of fascism, represented by the government of the former president who was ineligible and criminally indicted.

And even though Brazil climbed several positions in the ranking of the world's most important economies in the short period between 2003 and 2014, talk of a crisis began, which was then attributed to public policies that, in some way, provided a beginning of citizenship that workers had never previously achieved in their lives.

As a result, Brazil continued its path toward backwardness, driven by the choices of its political "elite," who believe it is better to live without progress for the majority, as long as the dominant group has the right to enjoy the leftovers of developed nations.

Those segments of the population that eventually rebel against this project of perpetuating poverty and misery are kept "in their place" through oppression and criminalization by institutions controlled by and placed at the service of this same "elite." And all of this fuels the violence that falls upon women.

It is often said that "childhood is the hope of the world." However, without decent living conditions for mothers, children will never have hope for a better future.

It is worth remembering that the Constitution guarantees women and men equal rights and obligations, including those relating to marital life; likewise, it establishes the protection of motherhood as a social right. The 1988 Constitution is full of rights that need to be fully implemented, but never are, and this is the loophole that allows them to be neglected in a society that is becoming increasingly cruel and exploitative.

Women are those who possess the capacity to give life. Therefore, caring for women, protecting them, giving them the conditions to develop, work, produce, etc., is to save the world.