On its third day, the First Week of Dialogues on Equality and Diversity reinforced the importance of raising awareness and engaging in issues related to the confrontation of violence against women and to the combat of racism in the State of Tocantins - and, of course, Brazilian - society.
With the main theme, but not the only one, being Knowledge and legal practice of the protocol for judgments with a gender perspective in the fight against violence against women, the third panel featured three important lectures - mediated by the Head Judge Cirlene Maria de Assis Santos Oliveira, from the Court Specialized in Combating Domestic and Family Violence against Women in Situations of Domestic and Family Violence.
Lectures
Opening the activities of the morning on Thursday (October 19th), the Judge Umbelina Lopes Pereira Rodrigues, from the Criminal Court of the district of Porto Nacional, presented some information, with a psycho-legal approach, on the subject of institutional violence against women.
Umbelina explained that institutional violence against women can manifest itself in different ways and in specific contexts, but that, in general, it occurs when institutions perpetuate and reinforce gender inequality and discrimination against women.
"Violence against women is a reflection of cultural aspects of our society (...) It's important that those of us who work with this type of service are made aware of it (...) This is everyone's obligation, not just that of the legal system (...) Changes aren't immediate, it's a long process, but events like this contribute for building dialogues," she said during her talk.
During the mediation, Cirlene commented on the importance of training on this subject in the public sector, for police officers, delegates, lawyers and other agents involved in cases of violence against women.
The second lecture focused on Minority Rights - structural racism - with Marco Adriano Ramos Fonseca, Judge and Coordinator of the Committee of Diversity of the Court of Justice of the State of Maranhão. The speaker first congratulated Esmat on holding the event.
Afterwards, he discussed the need to debate issues related to the context of structural racism in Brazil. The speaker brought up some aspects of human rights and anti-discrimination law in the light of international treaties. Marco also talked about who minorities and people in vulnerable conditions are. He also explained, through historical facts, how black people have been presented in Brazilian society.
The third and final lecture, given by lawyer Stella Noeme Bueno Pedroso do Nascimento, focused on Domestic and Family Violence and Gender Inequality. In her speech, the lawyer explained how domestic and family violence is closely related to gender inequality and stressed the need for the population to understand what feminism really is and for the term not to be misrepresented as it has been. "Domestic violence is not a recent phenomenon, it has gained prominence due to feminist movements, but the struggle is an old one," she said.
Programming
The Superior School of the Judges of the State of Tocantins (ESMAT), in partnership with the Department of State Justice of the State of Tocantins (CGJUS), is holding another activity until tomorrow (Friday, October 20th) aimed at strengthening awareness of the importance of equal rights and the value of diversity in social and professional environments.
In this sense, the third and final activity in the program of the First Week of Dialogues on Equality and Diversity will focus on the Introduction to the judgment protocol on the gender perspective in Brazilian justice from the point of view of the National Council of Justice (CNJ).
Those interested in taking part can register at clicking here.
