On National Women's Day, celebrated this Tuesday (April 30th), the President of the Court of Justice of the State of Tocantins (TJTO), Justice Etelvina Maria Sampaio Felipe, reaffirmed the commitment of the Judiciary of the State of Tocantins to the fight against gender violence and the defense of the rights of the women, by launching the Program for the Protection, Humanized and Supportive Reception of Women in the Judiciary of the State of Tocantins (PAHS).
"This program not only aims to protect against violence, but also to provide a humanized and supportive welcome to victims who seek help," she said.
On the occasion, the Justice mentioned that, in addition to judicial support, "extended to any and all victims of violence", the internal public will be provided with referrals to institutional social, psychological and medical assistance services. "Welcoming and humanized service, without exposure and guaranteeing privacy, reliability and security of information," she stressed.
This welcome was received by Judge Nely Alves da Cruz, Director of the District Court of Araguatins, when she decided to seek help for the situation of violence she was suffering. During the event, the Judge gave her testimony. "It's a cause that I care a lot about," she said emotionally, asking women in situations of violence to report the aggression they have suffered.
Institutional Support
During her speech, the President of the TJTO made a point of stressing that the program does not bring privileges to members of the judiciary to the detriment of the thousands who suffer violence. "It does bring institutional support and protection," she emphasized.
The state coordinator for Women in Situations of Domestic and Family Violence, Judge Cirlene Maria de Assis Santos Oliveira, said that the PAHS represents a mark.
"It's a commitment to the safety and well-being of the women who are part of the judiciary of the State of Tocantins."
She explained that the program is a concrete expression of the commitment of the Judiciary to the safety and dignity of all women in the PJTO. The Judge highlighted some of the services that will be offered by the PAHS. "We will have a protocol on preventing and dealing with domestic violence, because we understand that it is fundamental for all of us to be aware of our rights and to be aware of how to act in situations of violence," she said. "We will also have a structural protocol that will guarantee safer and more humane care for victims, avoiding institutional violence and offering all the necessary support for the protection and recovery of these women," she added.
The PAHS is under the responsibility of the State Coordination for Women in Situations of Domestic and Family Violence (Cevid), with the co-coordination of the Intelligence Division of the Institutional Intelligence and Security Center of the Court of Justice of the State of Tocantins (NIS-TJTO), which is responsible for security measures.
Justice Pedro Nelson de Miranda Coutinho, who coordinates the Center for Intelligence and Institutional Security (NIS), spoke about the importance of the Center and how it can be better used by civil servers and Judges. "Whenever there's a problem with civil servers and magistrates, it's exactly the Security Center that you should go to," she said.
Round of conversation
The launch of the program took place during a round table discussion, held in the auditorium of the Court of Justice, with the presence of Luciana Lopes Rocha, Assistant Judge to the President of the National Council of Justice (CNJ), and Maria Domitila Prado Manssur, from the Regional Electoral Court (TRE-SP). The event discussed "Domestic and Family Violence against Magistrates and Servers of the Judiciary".
Judge Luciana Rocha spoke about the CNJ resolution and mentioned the National Judicial Policy to Combat Domestic and Family Violence and the National Security Policy, which together resulted in the Recommendation 102, from 2021.
According to the magistrate, there is no specific profile of women in situations of violence. "Domestic violence is perversely democratic," she emphasized. According to the Judge, the Recommendation 102 arose especially from the issue of security, when, in December of 2020, there was the femicide of Judge Viviane Amaral, in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The Judge also cited another case of femicide against a Judge, which took place in the State of Mato Grosso, inside the courthouse, by her ex-partner.
The speaker also presented data on domestic and family violence. In one of the surveys cited, of the 300 female civil servers and magistrates interviewed, 40% said they were victims of violence. When talking about the program, she highlighted the involvement of various sectors of the Court so that "effective risk management can be carried out, through an integrated approach with the network that is also present."
Judge Maria Domitila used the case of the magistrate of the State of Tocantins Nely Alves at several points in her lecture, in which she spoke a little about the trial protocol with a gender perspective: how the protocol can help and guide conduct. "As the main point, in addition to knowledge of the process, getting closer to the victims, the proper application of our legislation and also the conventions signed by Brazil, including those that guarantee broad access to justice for women, I would like to highlight the word of the victim," she emphasized.
"Today, we heard the words of Nelly, who said something that I will never forget. She heard a song, she followed that song. Are we going to follow that music? What Nelly taught us today, the song of courage, and let's believe in the word of the victim of violence," she said.
PAHS
Established by the Resolution No. 18 of July 20th, 2023, following the Recommendation No. 102 of the CNJ, the program aims to prevent, protect and provide adequate support to female magistrates and civil servers in situations of domestic and family violence.
Check out the video presented at the PAHS launch:
Presences
The event was attended by the vice-President of the Court of Justice, Justice Ângela Prudente; the Chief Justice, Justice Maysa Vendramini Rosal; the Ombudsman for women, Justice Helvécio de Brito Maia Neto; the coordinator of violence prevention actions at the State Secretariat for Women, Áurea Maria Matos; the Undersecretary of State for Public Security, Reginaldo Menezes; the prosecutor Munique Teixeira Vaz, coordinator of the Maria da Penha Nucleus; the coordinator of the Specialized Nucleus for the Promotion and Defense of the Rights of Women, Pollyana Lopes Assunção; the President of the OAB/TO Women Lawyers Commission, Harini Gabriela Garcia Cecchin; the municipal Secretary for women, Fernanda Halum Pitaluga; the President of the Brazilian Association of Women in Legal Careers in the State of Tocantins, Gizella Bezerra; the vice-President of the Association of Brazilian Magistrates, Judge Julianne Freire Marques; the vice-President of the Association of Magistrates of the State of Tocantins (Asmeto), Judge Odete Almeida; the state coordinator of the Maria da Penha Patrol, PM Major Flávia Roberta Pereira De Oliveira.
Also present were representatives of the Support Network for the Protection of Women Victims of Violence; the PAHS Program Working Group; the Unions and the Association of Justice Servers, as well as magistrates and civil servers from the Judiciary of the State of Tocantins.
