Hundreds of people participate in the celebrations marking the 10th anniversary of the Maria da Penha Law.

In Fortaleza, hundreds of women participated yesterday afternoon, along with pharmacist Maria da Penha, in the celebrations marking the 10th anniversary of Law 11.340, of August 7, 2006, which bears her name - the Maria da Penha Law, which made the punishment for domestic violence crimes more rigorous. According to the National Women's Helpline, more than 4,7 million reports of violence cases have been registered in these 10 years.

For Maria da Penha, the creation of the law was a very important victory for all women. "It was a victory not only for me. It was a victory for Brazilian women. I was seeking justice, and what happened was much better than that justice."

Maria da Penha was a victim of domestic violence for 23 years of marriage. In 1983, her husband attempted to murder her twice. The first time, with a firearm, leaving her paraplegic, and the second time, by electrocution and drowning. After this attempted murder, she found the courage to report him. Maria da Penha's husband was only punished after 19 years of legal proceedings and served only two years in prison, much to Maria's outrage at the public authorities. As a result of her struggle in Brazil and abroad, in August 2006 she finally saw the enactment of a law that punishes this type of crime more severely.

The event took place on Avenida Beira Mar, organized by the Coordination of Policies for Women, the State Council for Women's Rights, and the Maria da Penha Institute. 

On that occasion, violence against women was denounced in its various forms and through various languages. There were shows and artistic performances, including one by the singer and songwriter Tião Simpatia, an activist in the fight against violence against women.

Among the accusations of violence was the political violence against President Dilma Rousseff, mentioned in the speech of one of the members of the Women of Ceará Movement with Dilma, writer Nilze Costa e Silva: "Denouncing the violence against women's dignity. Denouncing the everyday, patriarchal, macho, misogynistic and sexist violence against the first female president of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff."