Violence against women was a major issue at Carnival 2016. The articulation of blocks and women's groups that mobilized to combat all types of violence generated discussions on the subject and an increase in the number of reports of violence against women.

 

A survey carried out by the Avon Institute and Data Popular listened to young people aged between 16 and 24 across the country and showed that 79% of women have already been harassed. In other words: eight out of ten women have received violent slurs or been approached aggressively at parties or in public places. Four out of ten have had their bodies touched without consent and three out of ten have been forcibly kissed.

 

The street carnival is the scene of much of this violence, a time when sexist practices and rape culture are in evidence, blaming women for the harassment they suffer (because they are alone, wearing certain clothes, etc.). The survey also showed that 80% of men think it's wrong for a woman to get drunk at a party.

 

Mafoane Odara, who coordinates the area of Confronting Domestic Violence at the Avon Institute, spoke about the importance of changing this behavior in an interview with Bom Dia Brasil: "We don't want to put an end to enjoying Carnival, to flirting, quite the opposite: we want to find a way for everyone to have fun. Because Carnival is for all of us, and for it to be for everyone, I need to feel respected just like you do."

 

More and more women are taking action on the issue: in 2016, they showed that Carnival is also a place to combat violence against women. AzMina magazine launched the #CarnavalSemAssédio campaign in partnership with the Mulheres Rodadas bloco and other groups, releasing a booklet explaining to men how to behave in the blocos. The A Mulherada Institute, which emerged in 2001 in Salvador, the Mulheres Rodadas bloco, founded in Rio de Janeiro in 2015, and the Apito Contra o Assédio campaign, launched earlier this year by three young people in São Luiz do Paraitinga, are other examples of groups created to defend women's rights, which use Carnival to address issues such as domestic and sexual violence, harassment and machismo.

 

 

Apoiado pelo Fundo ELAS através do Fundo Fale Sem  Medo, nossa parceria com o Instituto Avon, o Instituto A Mulherada combate a violência o ano todo. "As meninas vinham [para as aulas de percussão, dança afro e inclusão digital que oferecem] e depois sumiam, e aí fomos investigar. Muitas das mulheres sofriam violência em casa dos maridos, ou eram lésbicas e sofriam preconceito da família", disse Mônica Kalile, presidente-fundadora do bloco A Mulherada. "Decidimos criar, em 2007, a