“The week before last, it started at 5:30 am. She was one of 30 women interviewed in a survey that sought to understand the impacts of armed violence on the lives of women in Complexo da Maré. In the collected reports, mental and physical effects were observed and care and protection strategies that women adopt were revealed. Ana Lúcia explains to Agência Brasil how the police operation completely changes her routine and her state of mind. “I have a class there at the Olympic Village at 7 am. I wake up early and get ready. Then I start to hear the shots, that’s it. The day is over. You get tense, worried. My daughter had to leave for work. My husband too. I ask Be careful. I ask you to call me when you arrive at Avenida Brasil”. Rio de Janeiro, 04/12/2023 – Maré favela resident Ana Lúcia Alves talks about the impacts of armed violence on her life – Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil The qualitative study took a scientific look at reports like this one. Carried out as part of the De Olho na Maré project, maintained by the non-governmental organization Redes da Maré, it involved researchers from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and two British institutions, the universities of Warwick and Cardiff. In addition to the interviews, other methodological tools were used, such as conversation circles and weekly dance and yoga dance workshops. Considering all the activities carried out between September 2021 and November last year, more than 50 participants of different ages were involved. Agência Brasil had exclusive access to the study, which will be launched and presented today (14th), at 3 pm, at Casa das Mulheres da Maré, in an event open to residents and other interested parties. Complexo da Maré comprises 16 favelas, home to around 140,000 people. In 2022 alone, according to monitoring by Redes da Maré, 27 police operations were recorded in that territory: one every 13 days. Men make up the absolute majority of those killed when there are clashes. According to the last Brazilian Public Security Yearbook, published last year by the non-governmental organization Brazilian Public Security Forum, most victims of deaths resulting from police intervention in the country are male (99.2%), black (84.1%) and under 29 years old (74%). The researchers, however, point out that the presence and circulation of weapons in a territory causes, in addition to deaths, several individual and collective violations: invasions of homes, physical and verbal aggressions, restrictions on mobility and circulation and the closing of schools and health units. health. This reality is documented by the De Olho na Maré project. Between 2017 and 2022, 169 police operations and 122 confrontations between armed groups were recorded, which resulted in 195 deaths, 186 injuries by firearms, 572 violations of individual rights, 93 days without classes and 122 days with suspended health services. Rio de Janeiro, 04/12/2023 – Researcher Isabel Barbosa, Master in Public Policy on Human Rights from UFRJ, discusses the impacts of armed violence on the lives of women in Maré. Photo Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil Isabel Barbosa, a researcher involved in the study, says that women are the majority victims in some of these situations, such as home invasions, verbal violence and sexual harassment. “They are often committed by agents of the State in charge of guaranteeing security. And when this violence is caused by members of armed groups that operate in the territory, there is a feeling of silencing. How can these women protect themselves or even seek help?” he observes. She recalls that women are also impacted by lethality, as the victims can be their children, partners and other family members. “In addition to the pain of loss, they have to deal with media exposure, with people’s judgment, with the guilt of what happened as if they could do anything to stop it. And it’s something you can’t predict. You can’t know when there’s going to be a shot going through your house”. Redes da Maré was formalized in 2007 as a result of community mobilizations that began in the 1980s and has as one of its purposes the realization of the rights of residents in various spheres: public safety, health, education, culture, urbanization, etc. According to Liliane Santos, coordinator of the organization’s Right to Public Security and Access to Justice axis, research development has always been a concern. Rio de Janeiro, 04/12/2023 – Social worker Liliane Santos addresses the impact of armed violence on the lives of women in Maré. Photo: Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil “We understand that it is only possible to look at the great demands, great issues of the territory, from the production of knowledge. From the demands identified in the surveys, we seek to make proposals to contribute to the elaboration of policies not only for Maré, but for the city and the country as a whole”, he said. Mental Health Liliane explains that the new studies seek to dialogue with other research and surveys on armed violence carried out previously. In 2021, the Construindo Pontes survey showed, through a sampling approach, that 55.6% of Maré residents are afraid that someone close to them will be hit by a stray bullet. Among those who stated that they had been exposed to shootings, 44% reported damage to their mental health, 12% had thoughts related to suicide and 30% to death. Other data draw attention: 26% of residents mentioned depressive episodes and 25.5% reported having had anxiety in the previous three months due to armed violence. According to the researchers, the reports collected in the study with women allowed obtaining more specific information on the female population and deepening knowledge about these impacts already revealed in the quantitative surveys. “It’s a constant state of alert. Any helicopter we hear, a police operation comes to mind. So, there’s always a concern for their family members who left for work or to study. And then, will they come back all right? There is this tension, which can aggravate or cause anxiety and depression”, says Isabel. For the researcher, the imminence of confrontation at any time causes a frequent feeling of fear and tension. In the collected reports, there is mention of the fear for the lives of children and grandchildren, the distress involving the noise of a helicopter, the feeling of impotence and silence in the face of a loss, in addition to other psychological and emotional impacts. Some women commented on physical and mental damage involving gunshot marks in their homes. Joselita Pereira da Silva, 63, who was also interviewed in the study, tells Agência Brasil that, on a police operation day, she cannot relax. “I wake up with my heart very agitated. It’s very difficult. They enter our houses, turn everything around. They treat us as if we were all bandits. And it’s not like that. I was born and raised here. I have three biological children and three from creation. No one is a criminal, everyone has a degree, thank God. Each one has their own profession”. Rio de Janeiro, 04/12/2023 – The resident of the Maré favela Jorgelita Pereira talks about the impacts of armed violence on her life – Photo Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil The resident reports her fears. “I’m afraid of my husband leaving work. I’m afraid of my children leaving work. The children can’t go to school. The health center doesn’t work. It’s so aggressive. When it’s 5 pm, we ask the neighbors: ‘Is it over yet? Have they left?’ It’s very sad”, he adds. Through the women’s testimonies, the researchers also sought to identify behaviors in the face of the death of a child or a loved one. They indicate that exposure in the media, often in a derogatory way, can generate anger and outrage. Over time, women seek to deal with the loss in other ways: some, for example, engage in community-based organizations or political struggle and others try to occupy their time with work. The study also associates armed violence with panic syndrome and eating disorders. He also points out that the worsening of mental health may be linked to the development or worsening of diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. In addition, confrontations generate negative impacts on dealing with cases of domestic violence: some services responsible for protecting women victims of these crimes refuse to enter the territory. Protection The study also sought to understand the strategies adopted by women in the face of armed violence. Various measures were identified. The use of white or light-colored clothing was cited and justified by the perception that the police interpret the use of black as a sign of membership in armed groups. Another strategy is to follow social networks and message services, through which they are informed about the dynamics of the territory, including the occurrence of confrontations. Women also said that they lock the door and hide in more remote and protected places from the house when police operations are in progress. One black interviewee reported having the habit of keeping proof of purchase of the goods she has at home, to prove that her assets are legal. Among those who live alone, the preference to go to the streets was also mentioned, where they feel less exposed to the risk of sexual harassment by public security agents, should they invade their homes. In some of the 16 favelas in Complexo da Maré, it is common for women to gather in public spaces to protect themselves collectively. The researchers also noted the existence of efforts aimed at the collective creation of care networks, which provide a better quality of life and offer an environment of support and reflection. Isabel Barbosa stated that the study gathers useful information for the elaboration of public policies. The researchers themselves make recommendations that involve, for example, changes in the public security model, implementation of health equipment and access to justice aimed at women, training of professionals who work in the territories and elaboration of reparation programs for mothers and relatives of victims of armed violence. Policies for the implementation of artistic and bodily activities are also suggested as a strategy to promote physical and mental health, such as the one carried out in the scope of the research. “The lack of alternatives or the existence of precarious care alternatives often makes women feel isolated. Reception is very important in the face of all the suffering they go through. And in these artistic activities, they manage to look at themselves, take care of themselves . And, many times, this opens up space for other types of expression. When you suffer violence, the tendency is to isolate and silence yourself. So, these spaces of expression are important”, adds Isabel. Amanda Jerônimo da Silva, 29, approves. “Women give good support. Each one tells their problems. Sometimes, it’s one crying from here, another from there. It improved my wisdom, my way of acting with everyone. We laugh, joke, we understand the feeling of the other. Sometimes, one does not want to go because she is distressed about something. We go to her house and look for it, talk. It ends up creating that affection from woman to woman”.
Agência Brasil
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