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The ELAS Fund and the C&A Institute announce the results of the ELAS in Fashion and Without Violence Call for Proposals, which aims to strengthen women working in the fashion production chain - in agriculture, industry, clothing and/or commerce. The initiatives will network to end violence in their workspaces, in the localities where they live and market their products.

21 projects led by black women, immigrants, peripheral women, LBTs (lesbian, bisexual and trans), domestic workers, rural and terreiro women and sex workers will be supported. Some of the actions carried out will be professional training workshops, roundtables on rights and combating violence, parades, publications and documentaries.

"We are very happy and proud of this new call for proposals aimed specifically at women working in fashion, which is a strategic area for us to advance towards the end of violence against women, for equality and for justice", says K.K. Verdade, executive coordinator of the ELAS Fund.

"We are very excited about the partnership and the start of the selected projects. This work meets our purpose of transforming the fashion industry into a force for good, addressing gender inequality and violence against women," says Mariana Xavier, manager of the Rights and Work Program at Instituto C&A.

All grantees will be together at the II ELAS Dialogue on Fashion and Without Violence, which will be held in November 2019, discussing gender justice in the field of fashion and building joint strategies.

Why support women in fashion

Women are the majority in Brazil's long fashion chain. From the farmers who grow the cotton, the weavers who create the fabrics, those who process the leather, those who work in the knitwear or footwear industry, to the seamstresses, fashion entrepreneurs and those who market the clothes. In the textile sector, for example, they account for 75% of the workforce (Brazilian Textile and Apparel Industry Association, 2017). In fact, women are a large part of the consumers in this sector.

In addition to the lack of recognition of their role and work along this long and complex chain, women face exploitation, informality, precarious working conditions, discrimination and other forms of violence. We also know that this violence mainly affects black women, young and adult women, migrants and refugees.

To transform this scenario and help these women live with autonomy and freedom, the ELAS Fund and the C&A Institute launched the ELAS in Fashion and Without Violence Call. We want to accelerate the transformation of the fashion industry towards gender justice and the end of violence against women.

Check the list of selected projects at fundosocialelas.org/elasnamoda/