Women from the Federal District march for public policies and against femicide

Agency Brazil - Women and men from around 30 social movements, entities and left-wing political parties in the Federal District marched this Saturday (8), calling for public policies that meet women's needs, in their various aspects, and, above all, an effective fight against violence against women and femicide. The 8M Unificadas DF e Entorno event took place in the central area of ​​Brasília in celebration of International Women's Day.

For Rita Andrade, of Levante Feminista Contra o Feminicídio, it is a day to celebrate achievements, strengthen women's movements and remember that "there is a long road ahead."

"We say that, above all, it's a march for the lives of all women, against sexism, racism, and fascism, without amnesty. That's this year's motto," she said.

Ana Paula Cusinato, an activist with the World March of Women, reaffirmed the need for strong public policies, the fight against violence, and reminded everyone that the feminist struggle is also a men's struggle.

"The feminism we advocate, which is working-class feminism, needs to be embraced by the men who support us as well. Because an equal society, with equality between men and women, will be good for everyone," she emphasized.

Student Luiza Eineck, from the Bread and Roses movement, called for policies for working women, who, according to her, suffer the most from precarious work, double and triple shifts, and exploitation.

The movement advocates for the end of the six-day work/one-day off schedule (6x1 schedule) and the reduction of the work week to 30 hours without a reduction in pay.

“The big question is how this generation [of women] can learn from the past to fight for a future without oppression and exploitation and unite with the workers, because I think that’s the way for us to fight,” said Eineck, recalling that March 8th was created by socialist women who fought for basic rights such as the right to vote.

“We are highlighting the need for a women's movement that, regardless of the government, will provide left-wing opposition to it. The fiscal framework renews the spending cap [a policy implemented during Michel Temer's government] and limits spending on health, education, and social assistance. And who are the most oppressed and vulnerable who most need quality public services? We know it's working women, Black women,” she argued.

Andrea Medrado, from the Parliamentary Front for Inclusive Education, brought the demands of atypical mothers, mothers of people with disabilities, to the march.

"Many of us need to leave the workforce to be able to care for our children fully. We also fight for the care economy, for this perspective on atypical mothers. Many of us don't have a way to earn a living because caregiving isn't seen as work. So, we're here to say that atypical mothers exist, and they resist," she said.

She is the mother of a child with Pitt Hopkins (a neurogenetic disorder that causes developmental delays and absence of speech) and emphasized that the fight is for human rights as a whole.

"There are several intersections. When you're the mother of a child with a disability, your child is denied several rights. They're denied access to education, healthcare, access to the job market—all basic and fundamental human rights are denied to these people," she recalled.

Femicides

Also present at the event, the coordinator of the Gender Nucleus of the Public Prosecutor's Office of the Federal District and Territories, Adalgiza Aguiar, spoke about the importance of listening to the movements and demanding that public policies be implemented. According to her, the oversight of the Public Prosecutor's Office needs to be done in partnership with the social oversight of collectives and civil society.

"We coordinate public policies, promote them, and oversee them so that the executive branch and the justice system uphold women's rights," she stated, noting that it is also essential to combat violence and guarantee women's safety.

According to her, public prosecutors in all states are working together to combat violence against women, in order to "try to eliminate these unfortunately still high rates of femicide." But, for Adalgiza, this fight must be waged through education.

"Unfortunately, we need to tackle femicide from the root. So, we need to always think about education, educating about women's rights, about equality between men and women. So we need to go to schools and universities and run awareness campaigns, because education is fundamental to ending this discrimination and this widespread violence against women," she added.

The event featured a variety of cultural activities and music. Thamy Frisselli, one of the event organizers, emphasized that we must fight "with great joy, yes." "We are fighting, and even while we are fighting, we are smiling, we are happy because that's what we want, we want to be alive and in pursuit of public policies that serve us," she said.