The opening was done by the Chief Justice, judge Maria Etelvina Felipe Sampaio, who represented the president of the Court of Justice TJTO), judge João Rigo Guimarães. After congratulating the women for their achievements, the magistrate launched the project "From Maria to Marias: restoring the self-esteem of women in situation of domestic violence", a social action to support victims of violence who carry physical marks of pain and suffering.
"Our Project has as its main goal the rescue of women's self-image and self-esteem, the resignification of the marks left by violence, through micropigmentation and tattooing, transforming scars, memories of pain, into art", explained the Chief Justice while presenting the project to the more than 80 people who followed the event virtually.
Etelvina Sampaio also pointed out that the project will be developed by the Citizenship Coordination, an area of the General Internal Affairs focused on social actions and getting closer to society, which is headed by Judge Aline Bailão. "It is known that there are countless episodes of violence against women that result in aesthetic damage, leaving marks on visible parts of the human body, causing the victim to remain bound to the suffering and to be forced to externalize it. In this scenario, the recovery of self-image, self-esteem and the joy of living is a matter of concern for the General Internal Affairs of the Justice of the State of Tocantins", reinforced the judge.
The president of the Association of Magistrates of the State of Tocantins (Asmeto), judge Odete Batista, attended the launching event. "The project is beautiful, the name is very sublime and I am sure that the result will be even more sublime. I take this opportunity to express my appreciation for all the women who make up our Judiciary on this Women's Day."
About Maria to Marias
The Project has as main objective the rescue of self-image and self-esteem of women victims of domestic violence, through lectures, tattooing, micropigmentation and other activities, promoting the resignification of the marks left by violence. The initiative was conceived by Justice Etelvina Maria Sampaio Felipe, by the assistant judge of the General Internal Affairs' Office, Rosa Maria Rodrigues Gazire Rossi, and by the volunteer Maria das Graças de Souza, a professional in the esthetics area.
"The judiciary cannot close its eyes to social ills, and Maria's to Marias is a gift to wounded women. The name is a tribute to Maria das Graças, who expressed to me her desire to help other women. We are joining forces to give a hand to these women who carry violence in their souls and on their skin", said the magistrate.
The action will be carried out in partnership with the city of Palmas, through the Reference Center for the Attendance of Women in Situations of Violence - Flor De Lis, which will be responsible for identifying, selecting, referring, and following up the women who will be contemplated with the services and activities made available by the Project.
The Cooperation Agreement is expected to be signed in the next few days. Another important partnership is with the professional tattoo artist Benjamim Nascimento Souza, who will volunteer his services.
Justice for Peace at Home
During the live, Judge Cirlene de Assis, state coordinator of the Combat Against Domestic and Family Violence and member of the Domestic Violence Prevention Committee of the Court of Justice of the State of Tocantins (CPVID-CNJ), officially opened the Home Peace Week, an action coordinated by the National Council of Justice (CNJ) and that takes place simultaneously throughout the country from March 8th to 12th.
"In this period, judges focus even more efforts on trials of domestic violence cases. This mobilization began in 2015 and has three editions a year, March (Women's Day), August (Anniversary of the Maria da Penha Law) and November (International Day of Combating Violence Against Women). All the magistrates were called to give priority to domestic violence cases, fulfilling Goal 8 of the CNJ (Strengthening the Network for Combating Domestic Violence against Women)," explained the judge.
Cirlene Assis also talked about the importance of the CNJ's Resolution 346/2020, which, among other points, determines that the victim must be notified immediately of the decisions of arrest or freedom of the aggressor. "It was an advance, because it aims to prevent occurrences of fatal events, i.e., feminicide," she said.
The judge also presented a balance of the last year of domestic violence trials in Tocantins, when 10,653 cases were distributed and 5,590 were judged. Of the 39 feminicide cases distributed, 27 were judged, and 3,474 protective measures were judged.
"This is a very big victory, even in the face of all the adversities, I consider it an honorable achievement for all magistrates who are in charge of domestic violence," said the judge, who also presented the proposals of her action plan for the Committee for the Prevention of Domestic Violence of the Court of Justice of the State of Tocantins (CPVID-CNJ).
Lectures
The live ended with two other lectures. The first one was also about domestic violence, given by the police chief Milena Lima, an expert in cybercrime and member of the TJTO's Intelligence area.
The security professional, who has also served as a Women's Delegate, brought the reflection that there is no standard for aggression. "Anyone can be a victim of domestic violence, educated, enlightened. This does not occur only among uneducated women, as many think," she said, recalling the case of the magistrate from Rio de Janeiro murdered by her partner in late 2020.
Milena also reflected on the social support provided to women who have been raped. "Are we aware of who is on our side, are we prepared to guide. It is not so easy to raise awareness, when the problem is outside, it is someone else's problem, many don't want to get involved. The pandemic has silenced many victims," warned the delegate, suggesting that society should criticize and judge less and support more.
Closing the program, Roberta Galvani Carvalho, master coach specialized in skills development, talked about the emotional state of women in times of pandemic. The specialist talked about the changes in routine caused by social isolation, when many women are overloaded with work and house chores on a daily basis, highlighting the importance of evaluating feelings.
"We have more than 20 types of emotions, and only those who are not human don't feel them. It's your behavior that you need to control. And at this moment, you locked in, you feel exaggerated fear, and many times you need help," warned the specialist, reinforcing that self-knowledge is fundamental.
