RO DE JANEIRO.- Avoid being alone in the crowd, opt for canned drinks, use the QR code for emergencies: in Rio de Janeiro recommendations are multiplying for women to be safe during the carnavalwhen attacks are triggered.
The wonderful citywhich officially inaugurated its most emblematic festival on Friday, is the scene of crowds, traditional blocos (street gangs) and hundreds of thousands of people.
But in parallel with the dancing, the music and the overflowing joy, the sieges break out and the rapes increase.
A recent survey by the Locomotiva Research Institute revealed that in Brazil seven out of 10 women (73%) fear being sexually harassed during celebrations.
The survey, carried out in January among 1,500 people, showed that half of the women (50%) suffered attacks in previous editions of the carnival.
Machismo and alcohol at carnival
The explanation is summarized in two words: alcohol and machismo, according to Erica Paes, a specialist in women’s safety.
“Men believe they have the right and power over women’s bodies,” Paes, who is also a world champion in MMA (mixed martial arts), told AFP.
She created and coordinates the Empoderadas program, of the State Government, which redoubled its efforts these days to inform about how to behave, what situations to avoid and, if you are a victim of violence, where to go.
“Disclosure is today the main protection tool for women so that they know that they may be victims of violence and that they have someone to turn to for help,” Paes highlighted.
Information is power
Brazil approved the law in December No no (no is no), which establishes a mandatory protocol in entertainment spaces to protect the victim from abuse, encourage complaints and preserve possible evidence.
The standard is inspired by the Catalan No path (Let’s not be silent), which made it possible to bring Brazilian soccer player Dani Alves to trial after being accused of raping a woman in a Barcelona nightclub.
“Let’s spread the information that saves lives and reinforce (the idea that) after saying no, it is harassment,” Joyce Trindade, from the Women’s Secretariat of the Prefecture of Rio, responsible for the Carnival+Seguro campaign, said in a statement. .
This year there are assistance stations for women who are attacked or who feel in danger at the Sambdromo and Intendente Magalhes Avenue, another catwalk for large parades.
QR codes with information (in four languages) on how and where to seek help can be consulted in many public spaces, such as the Sambdromo and bloco bathrooms.
On buses, trams or subway cars, which are also crowded during the holidays, it is possible to come across an Empoderadas team giving advice to users.
An important one: if you are going to drink, make sure you are in a group of friends. “Unfortunately, sometimes danger awaits,” Paes said.
The Brazilian government also launched a campaign for respect for women and offers to call 180 for emergencies.
“It doesn’t solve the problem”
On the outskirts of the Nise da Silveira psychiatric hospital, in the north of Rio, the hubbub grows while the details are being finalized for the departure of its traditional Loucura Suburbana block.
Mixed among the hundreds of partygoers are about 10 women in violet and glitter from the Carnival+Seguro campaign, who distribute stickers and fans with the phrases Respect the girls and No means No.
But for some, it is insufficient.
“The campaigns still do not take into account the seriousness of the situation of women in the carnival,” lamented Danielle Ribeiro, 38, who participates in the bloco.
“It’s better than nothing, but I think that by itself it doesn’t solve the problem,” this historian told AFP, who believes it is necessary to provide more places to report and more severe punishments for abusers.
“Men must build another way of being at the carnival.”
FUENTE: AFP
