October 26: International Intersex Awareness Day

October 26: International Intersex Awareness Day

Within the framework of International Intersex Awareness Day, the International Institute on Race, Equality, and Human Rights (Race & Equality) calls for an end to the discrimination, exclusion, torture, patholization, unnecessary medicalization, and ‘invisibilization’ of intersex persons and their families in the region.  In this sense, Race & Equality reminds [people] that intersex persons are those whose sexual anatomy does not physically adjust to culturally-defined standards for the ‘feminine’ or ‘masculine’ body.  Having said that, what does that actually mean?  We set forth some questions and answers below so as to best approach this issue:

Is intersexuality the same as hermaphroditism?

No.  Although in the cultural imagination hermaphroditism is associated with the figure in Greek literature that has external sexual characteristics associated with the presence of a penis, a vulva, and breasts, in fact in botany and zoology hermaphroditism refers to the reproductive capacity of a plant or animal that can even self-inseminate.  When we refer to people, there is consensus in the scientific community that it is more appropriate to refer to intersexuality.  Some activists, such as Mauro Cabral, prefer to refer to themselves as intersex persons, thereby lending political value to this discussion beyond medical-legal discussions.

 Is intersexuality the same as transgenderism?

 No.  Although both concepts can converge, it is important to have a clear understanding that:

  1. Intersexuality is a biological characteristic that is associated with persons’ genetic and corporeal development (what we traditionally have called ‘sex’) and can be externally visible in the body of a person from the moment of his/her birth.
  2. Transgenderism is more associated with how a person constructs him/herself over the course of his/her life and how he/she presents him/herself to society (what we refer to as ‘gender identity’), although this process can include corporeal interventions to bring the body more into agreement with the [person’s] gender identity.

If intersexuality is biological and innate to a person, why is it necessary to have an intersex day?

  1. It is important to keep in mind that despite the fact that intersexuality if a biological reality, many people are not aware of this fact and by extension, of the existence of intersex persons.
  2. The denial of this biological reality in the educational arena (it is not taught from a young age) is also reflected in the legal sphere, which only recognizes ‘two biological sexes,’ even though the reality is much broader than that; this produces important consequences in the lives of intersex persons.
  3. The origin of this day dates back to 1996 when intersex activists protested in front of the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics in Boston against the genital mutilations and hormonal treatments performed on intersex persons at an early age without their informed consent.

Are intersex persons the victims of human rights violations?

Yes.  Intersex persons have been the victims of multiple violations reflected in various spheres of their lives:

  1. Their existence is denied in the legal and medical arenas, given that in many countries only two sexes are legally recognized: male and female. Nonetheless, this is changing with the recognition of gender neutrality.
  2. As a result of the foregoing, surgical procedures are imposed on intersex persons from a very early age. Current protocols are applied to them, even though that means carrying out unnecessary surgical interventions with the intention of ‘normalizing’ their genitals, without the person first giving his/her informed consent.  It should be noted that these interventions give rise to irreversible consequences in the emotional, physical, and sexual life of those individuals, including sterilization and genital mutilation, without them being medically necessary in the great majority of the cases.
  3. Human rights protection entities – such as the United Nations and the Inter-American Commission – have documents grave violations of intersex persons’ human rights, above all with relation to discrimination, ‘invisibilization,’ the lack of official information, medical treatments they tend to receive since birth and throughout the course of their lives, barriers to accessing their medical charts, and even difficulty with obtaining recognition of their legal status in public identity registries.
  4. According to the testimonies of diverse intersex persons, the nature of the interventions oftentimes gives rise to the need for multiple surgeries at different times in their lives, producing chronic pain, possible health problems, and the need to carry out extremely invasive routine procedures comparable to cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or torture.

For all of these reasons, Race & Equality condemns the patholization and childhood genital mutilation practices endured by some intersex persons, and calls on the States in the region to assume their international obligations without further delay to protect human rights and comprehensively recognize, guarantee, and protect, with no patholization and in consultation with intersex persons, their human rights.

International Bisexuality Day: A Day to Remember the Sexual Diversity that Comprises and Complements Our Society

Washington, September 22, 2018 – Each year since 1999, International Sexuality Day is commemorated on September 23rd: a day to remember the sexual diversity that comprises and complements our society, as well as the urgent need to continue working for the recognition of the rights to individual liberty, autonomy, and identity of all persons, regardless of their sexual orientation, and especially the assertion and recognition of the rights of bisexual persons.

To that end, we applaud with appreciation the recent press communiqué on International Bisexuality Day issued jointly by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and experts from the United Nations: we believe that these types of statements are essential in the fight against the ‘invisibilization’ of the barriers and discrimination that impact bisexual persons and provide concrete data that help to eradicate misconceptions that are permeated by stigmas surrounding bisexuality.  To that end, the authors state in the communiqué that bisexuality refers to “the capacity for emotional, romantic, and/or physical attraction to more than one sex or gender.”  From our work with our counterparts in the region, we note with concern the frequency with which the sexual orientation of bisexual persons causes them to experience significant discrimination, in that socially they are categorized as ‘indecisive,’ ‘undefined,’ or ‘promiscuous,’ in this manner alluding to an as-yet ‘undecided’ sexual orientation which needs to be ‘defined’ as heterosexual or homosexual.  The stigmas to which bisexual persons are subject result in the ‘invisibilization’ of their realities and experiences, as well as the lack of awareness regarding the multiple challenges [and] barriers [they face], as well as the violations of their human rights.

According to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association (ILGA), bisexuality and bisexual persons are marginalized in all parts of the world, generating alarming figures of depression, isolation, health problems, and high rates of suicide within this population.  In addition, they indicate that the indices of domestic and psychological violence perpetrated against bisexual persons are much higher in comparison with what is experienced by homosexual or heterosexual groups.  In this same study, ILGA points out that “the reality of bisexual persons is unknown by social organizations and even by groups defending the rights of the LGBTI community” – the reason why there are few or no data from social and governmental organizations regarding the health, education, and access to reproductive rights of this population.  Likewise, the actions implemented by State organizations do not respond to the realities of persons with a bisexual sexual orientation.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, the social reality of bisexual persons is completely unknown.  It is as if they do not exist, given that people tend to feel such persons are “going through a phase or presenting a deviation from [normal] sexual conduct”; as such, no statistics or official data exist on the situation of this community, either at the level of the States in the region or at the level of civil society organizations, as the latter tend to address the situations of bisexual persons to a lesser degree.  In addition to this, the lack of knowledge, research, and comprehension of bisexuality becomes a worrisome limiting factor in identifying or defining barriers faced by bisexual persons.

Bisexuality is highly invisible in human rights practice and discourse; it is thus that this day becomes an opportunity to raise the visibility of the voices, stories, and experiences of bisexual persons, demand protection of the rights of all persons, demand research that will identify their needs throughout the world, and develop pedagogy regarding their reality.

Race & Equality calls on the States in the region, governmental institutions, and the LGBTI movement to fight against all types of discrimination and violence against the bisexual population.  We urge them to consider developing public policies that include bisexuality within [the larger topic of] sexual orientation and consequently, collect official data to internally counteract the violence and discrimination faced by bisexual persons.  Biphobia, as well as any type of expression of hatred or violence against the diverse forms of gender, identity, or sexual orientation are acts that diminish the possibility for constructing societies that are more inclusive, just, and respectful of diversity.

 

SO THAT OUR VOICES ARE HEARD AND INCLUDED! Today We Commemorate the International Day for Afro-Latino, Afro-Caribbean, and Diaspora Women

July 25 marks the International Day for Afro-Latino, Afro-Caribbean, and Diaspora Women. The commemorative date was established in 1992 after a meeting in the Dominican Republic of more than 400 women from diverse Latin American countries, where they analyzed the consequences of racism and sexism in the region. The meeting also provided a space for attendees to articulate joint actions and remember historic struggles to combat these issues.

On this day we remember that the fight to bring down the humiliations caused by discrimination, poverty, and violence is ongoing. Participatory spaces are closed off because of racist and discriminatory logic against women and Afro-descendants which prevail. Women from the region continue to be the victims of a hostile war committed to condemn their voices and their chants, to violate their bodies, and take away their children.

It is important to remember that Afro-descendant women’s organizations have undertaken a lot of efforts to achieve recognition and participation in decision-making spaces. Because of this, we urge all states to promote affirmative actions in favor of including Afro-Latino, Afro-Caribbean, and Diaspora voices in spaces that will permit the promotion of effective public policies that guarantee rights and severely condemn all types of ethnic or racial discrimination.

Today we rise up in resistance for the women suffering the war and apathy in Nicaragua, for the harassment and repression against women in Colombia, especially those who are persecuted for leading life in the territories. We rise up for those women who are not recognized and who are discriminated against in Peru; for the violence and harassment against trans women in Brazil; for the voices of the women in Panama; for the recognition of the rights of all women in the region. We will continue fighting so that our voices are heard, included.

The Human Rights Situation of Afro-descendants in Latin America Presents a Scenario Full of Discrimination and Collective Violence

On June 4, The Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality) and the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) held a panel conversation on the “Human Rights Situation of Afro-descendants in Latin America” as a side event to the 48th General Assembly of the Organization of American States. The dialogue featured Afro-descendant leaders and experts from Brazil, Cuba, Colombia, Guatemala and Peru, and sought to present the circumstances of Afro-descendant populations’ rights in the region, and the collaborative work that each country has been doing on these situations.

Washington Office on Latin America President Matthew Clausen opened the dialogue with some introductory remarks. WOLA has been carrying out international efforts with other Afro-descendant organizations seeking to protect Afro-descendant rights in the Americas and has also recently been lobbying the US Congress for the adoption of Resolution 713, which urges the United States Government to support the goals and objectives of the International Decade for People of African Descent by way of establishing global strategies that promote these goals. WOLA’s President took the opportunity to condemn all the recent attacks, killings and acts of intimidation against social leaders in the region and expressed his and WOLA’s support to do all that they can to remedy the situation.

The dialogue also featured the distinguished presence and participation of Epsy Campbell Barr, Vice-President of Costa Rica, and the first Afro-descendant woman in the region to be elected to a high political position – a major political achievement for all Afro-descendant populations in the region. In her speech, Vice-President Campbell reflected that the Afro-descendant movement in the region is not experiencing its greatest moment of progress, due to regressions in the political agendas of countries which have historically achieved spaces for advocacy. Likewise, she stressed that the movement’s advocacy actions have received little political backing in recent years. These conditions are contrary to the necessary conditions and agreements needed to achieve the goals of the International Decade, particularly of encouraging the connection between the goals of the Decade and those of sustainable development. Facing this, Vice-President Campbell stated that “a 2030 (Afro-descendant) agenda should be our aim for the next ten to twelve years. Therefore, it’s of vital importance to use the next five or so years left in the International Decade to achieve more commitments from States.”

Likewise, Epsy Campbell urged better working strategies to tackle poverty, discrimination and criminalization of Afro-descendants, and also the exclusion of Afro-descendants from political participation, as these continue to be realities in our countries, she declared. In conclusion, she stated that the greatest challenge for Afro-descendants in the region lies in aligning national agendas of each State in the region with a commitment towards inclusion of Afro-descendant communities and people.

In relation to the above, Carlos Quesada, Executive Director of the Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights, pointed out that the situation of the rights of people of African descent in the region has many parallels to police violence, poverty, inequality, unemployment and limited access to health and education. However, he stressed that the work carried out by various organizations in each of the countries shows signs of fight and hope for all of Latin America.

Cecilia Ramírez, Executive Director of the Center for the Development of Black Peruvian Women (CEDEMUNEP), shared with the audience the work that the Afro-Peruvian movement has developed in order to participate in the recent national census, and be properly counted for the first time since 1940. The work was a success for the recognition of the Afro-Peruvian people, as it promotes greater advocacy opportunities, participation and expression. This was achieved by working with various social sectors in order to develop the ethnic self-identification question, as well as allowing organizations to report and visualize the accurate living conditions of the Afro-descendant community in Peru. Ms. Ramírez also made mention of the challenges of carrying out a media campaign in favor of the ethnic self-identification question, in a country riddled with discrimination and racism. However, she stressed that such advocacy campaigns are crucial to bring awareness about what it means to identify as Afro-Peruvian. For 2017, the number of Peruvians who identify themselves as Afro-Peruvians totaled 4% of the population.

Norberto Mesa Carbonell, Director of the Cuban organization Cofradía de la Negritud, presented to the audience the human rights situation of exclusion facing Afro-Cubans. “The reality of the situation of Afro-Cubans has been a taboo subject since the Revolution. Although the issue of discrimination was an important topic to work on—of vital importance—it was enough for just a few years to go by until the Cuban State “automatically” closed the issue. As a result, everything related to access and participation of the Afro-Cuban movement, as well as the formation of public policies that benefit and recognize the Afro-descendant movement, were put on hold and were completely delayed. For this reason, and since the decision by the government, any advocacy work and presentation of human rights violations towards Afro-descendants in Cuba has been criminalized. We currently don’t have freedom of association; thus, it becomes a great challenge to work for the inclusion of this population sector in public policies regarding economic and social growth,” explained Norberto.

Cesar Gomes, a Brazilian social leader, presented another element of the conversation by describing the situation of the Afro-descendant LGBTI populations as one of the worst in the world. Cesar shared that Brazil has one of the highest numbers of murders of trans women because of their gender identity, and in particular Afro-descendant trans women. He also revealed that the country has no public policies specifically for Afro-LGBTI individuals, and in recent years, the Ministries of Women, Racial Equality, and Human Rights within the government have been dissolved, which has weakened the participation of social movements demanding respect for the rights of trans men and women who are also Afro-descendants. Likewise, he pointed out that rates of murder and violence against LGBTI men and women are increasing alarmingly, particularly at the hands of local and/or municipal authorities. Finally, Cesar mentioned the critical situation of young Afro-LGBTI people, as they are the ones who report the highest rates of suicide due to social and family harassment, in addition to being victimized again due to their socio-economic condition, and lack of access to education and health.

On the other hand, Ingrid Gamboa, an Afro-Guatemalan Garifuna leader, stressed that the lack of economic resources represents a major hurdle for the Afro-descendant movement in its efforts to achieve the implementation of an action plan with regard to the International Decade of People of African Descent. Historically, Afro-descendants have been characterized as one of the ethnic groups with the largest inequality gaps in the world. Therefore, the lack of States’ commitment to guarantee the necessary resources for the implementation of said Decade limits the possibilities of participation and the formation of recognition of guarantees for the rights of the Afro-descendant people.

Finally, Association of Displaced Afro-Colombians (AFRODES) Vice-President Erlendy Cuero Bravo voiced her profound concern about the lack of visibility of the situation of Afro-descendant populations, which continues to be obscured by State representatives throughout the region, in particular related to assassinations, persecutions, harassment and intimidation which affects social leaders in various countries. Likewise, she declared that many states have abandoned the Afro-descendant population and are unaware of the structural issues related to poverty, discrimination and violation of human rights. “In Colombia, the Afro-descendant population was the group that supported the Peace Agreement the most, because we have suffered the most deaths, but yet the State has abandoned us. We are being killed each day, and yet it seems like the Colombian state has no eyes or ears to recognize our situation, or that the harassment of our people represents a systematic phenomenon. So far nothing has been done to guarantee the life of our men, women and children. Not because of a lack of public policies, because there are many, but rather because of a lack of political will. Today, my people are scared and confined because when someone kills one of our political leaders, they are also killing the entire Afro-descendant movement.”

National Network of Black LGBT Persons in Brazil and the National Forum for Black Transgender Persons (FONATRANS) Denounce Violence Against LGBTI Afro-Brazilians Before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

Representatives of the National Network of Black LGBT Persons in Brazil, the National Forum for Black Transgender Persons (FONATRANS), and the Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights presented a report on violence against the black LGBTI community during the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights’ public hearing “Complaints of Violence against Afro-descendant LGBTI Persons in Brazil,” which took place during the Comission’s 161st period of sessions on March 22, 2017, in Washington, D.C.

Janaina Oliveira and Washington Dias, both members of the Coordinating Committee of the National Network of Black LGBTI Persons in Brazil, and Alessandra Ramos, National Coordinator of the National Forum for Black Transgender Persons, as well as Carlos Quesada, Executive Director the Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights, presented extra-official data that showed a sharp increase in acts of violence and hate crimes against the black LGBTI population in Brazil. Two of the gravest problems facing this community include the lack of official statistics on these crimes as well as the high level of impunity perpetrators enjoy.

The petitioners underscored the importance of intersectionality as a crucial element to consider when designing and implementing policies aimed at the Afro-descendant LGBTI population. They explained how a lack of a differentiated approach allows for their exclusion by institutions charged with providing services to them because these institutions are not clear if they should be treated as LGBTI persons or Afro-descendants.

Following their presentation, the petitioners made a series of recommendations, including the following; 1.) that the Commission should include a transversal analysis of race/ethnicity in its next report on the situation of violations of Brazilian LGBTI persons’ rights; 2.) that the Commission should undertake in loco visits to Brazil in order to speak with Brazilian authorities and follow up on actions to combat racism and LGBTI-phobia; 3.) that the Brazilian government should gather official statistical data on the rights situation of Afro-descendant LGBTI persons; 4.) that debate be encouraged on the gender identity of transgender persons, paying special attention to intersectional factors related to race and ethnicity, amongst others.

The Brazilian government, for its part, recognized the violence suffered by Afro-descendant LGBTI persons, as well as the challenges it faces to offer a better response to it. The government representatives also offered some information about recent actions taken on behalf of Afro-descendants (primarily related to affirmative actions in education) and on behalf of LGBTI persons (the establishment of certain government agencies to attend to the community). Nevertheless, the Brazilian government was unable to offer a direct response to the reality faced by the black LGBTI population. Overall, the government’s response demonstrated its weakness and lack of understanding of the issue.

The Commissioners asked both the state and the petitioners to provide additional information on the subject. They also emphasized the need for Brazil to adopt a gender identity law and to collect transversal statistical data on race and ethnicity, especially regarding the ongoing murders of LGBTI people in the country. Commissioners also underscored the need for Brazil to ratify the Inter-American Convention against Racism, Racial Discrimination and Related Forms of Intolerance.

Lastly, the petitioners called attention to how conservative religious groups have been affecting not only the rights of LGBTI persons but also the rights of Brazilian women.

The Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights believes that the hearing served as an opportunity for the Brazilian government to continue to dialogue and work with Afro-Brazilian LGBTI leaders.

Photo by: Daniel Cima/CIDH used unaltered, under creative commons license cc by 2.0.

Commissioner Margarette May Macaulay, Rapporteur on the Rights of Women and Rapporteur on the Rights of Afro-descendants and against Racial Discrimination, Visits Brazil with the Support of the Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights

Washington, D.C., October 17, 2016. Recognizing the important work that the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR) carries out through its various rapporteurships, the Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights sponsored a promotional visit to Brazil this September 27-30 for Commissioner Margarette May Macaulay, Rapporteur on the Rights of Women and Rapporteur on the Rights of Afrodescendants and against Racial Discrimination. The purpose of the visit was to collect information regarding the situation of violence faced by Afro-Brazilian women and to promote the work of the both rapporteurships.

The visit was made possible in coordination with our Brazilian partners: Geledes – Instituto da Mulher Negra, from São Paulo; Criola, from Rio de Janeiro; as well as the Articulação de Organizações de Mulheres Negras do Brasil (AMNB) through the Odara Instituto da Mulher Negra, from Salvador.

During the visit, Commissioner Macaulay received numerous testimonies from different sectors of Afro-Brazilian society. The events included a broad participation of Afro-Brazilian women, many of whom told of violations of their human rights and of the ineffective response by government institutions to these violations. In addition, Commissioner Macaulay received information on the increase in deaths of young Afro-Brazilians at the hands of police and how these violent acts have affected the mothers of the victims and the Afro-Brazilian community as a whole.

Transgender Afro-Brazilian women also had an opportunity to participate the sessions and to inform the Commissioner of the high levels of exclusion and invisibility their community faces in Brazil. The events also served as an opportunity to hear testimony from victims who have received threats for practicing African-derived religions.

The testimonies given by Afro-Brazilian women were often gut-wrenching, especially accounts of police brutality towards Afro-Brazilian youth and injustices that occur in the Brazilian penal system. Mothers of youth killed by the police expressed their view that “we believe they are killing our children one by one.”

Regarding the violence suffered by Afro-Brazilian women, Commissioner Macaulay said, “Over the years I have heard numerous stories of violence against women, but those that were told today have been terrible. Not only should the police be trained to attend to victims of domestic and sexual violence, but so should every member of the judicial system.”

The Rapporteur urged the representatives of civil society organizations to send the Commission detailed information on the situation of women and Afro-descendant communities in Brazil.

During the trip, Commissioner Macaulay was given technical support by other members of the travelling delegation: Ana M. Gonzalez, attorney for the Inter-American Commission, Carlos Quesada, the Institute’s Executive Director, and Elvia Duque, its Latin American Program Officer.

International Day for the Fight against Homophobia and Transphobia

On May 17, the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia is celebrated around the world. Despite progress with legislation in Latin America, including the recently approved marriage equality law approved this past April in Colombia—part of a larger trend of marriage equality rights achieved in other countries within the region—and breakthroughs such as the recognition of gender identity and laws against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, much remains to be done to protect the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people, especially in English-speaking Caribbean countries, where laws continue to criminalize consensual relationships between individuals of the same sex.

Today, May 17, the Gay Group of Bahia, Brazil, an organization which monitors violence against LGBTI people (and those who are perceived as such), have stated that so far this year 116 people LGBTI persons have been killed in the country. Most victims are trans women, and many of them of African descent. The violence perpetrated against their bodies is often brutal: their limbs are severed, they receive up to 30 shots, 30 stab wounds, their bodies are incinerated and burned.

But since the numbers do not reflect the magnitude of the tragedy, I would like to bring up the story of Veronica, a 25-year-old black, transgender woman who was tortured by police and prison officers São Paulo, Brazil in 2015. She was imprisoned for alleged attempted homicide and was brutally disfigured while in custody; they cut her hair and forced her to dress as a man. After the ordeal, she was made to sign a document denying that she had ever been tortured. However, after pictures of the beatings were published widely on social networks, she was taken to the Office of Policy Coordination for Sexual Diversity of São Paulo, where she opened up to what had happened. Veronica’s case has a happy ending, as the investigation against the officials that assaulted her is currently ongoing. Her case was also presented in a recent thematic hearing before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) in Washington D.C.

The Commission has already spoken of the extent of violence in the continent, especially against the transgender population, and has made a number of recommendations in its report Violence Against LGBTI Persons published (in Spanish) in late 2015. The Institute echoes the Commission’s recommendations, and in particular we would like to highlight: the need for States to collect data regarding forms of violence and discrimination against the LGBTI population; to take measures to prevent torture carried out by State agents and to provide training for them; to design programs and policies to eliminate the stigmatization and stereotyping of LGBTI persons and to ask States to sign and ratify the Inter-American Convention against All Forms of Discrimination and Intolerance approved by the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) in 2013 in Antigua, Guatemala.

The Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights works to combat discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, especially against transgender people in Cuba, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Brazil and Peru.

Violence Against Black Women in Brazil has Increased: “The Maria de Penha Law Hasn’t Reduced Murders of Black Women”

Photo courtesy of OAS photographer Daniel Cima, licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Violence Against Black Women in Brazil has Increased: “The Maria de Penha Law Hasn’t Reduced Murders of Black Women”

That was the message of Brazilian partners Criola—Black Women’s Organization of Rio de Janeiro, and Geledes—The Brazilian Black Women’s Institute in a public hearing before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on April 7, in Washington, D.C. In their presentation before the Commission, Jurema Werneck of Criola, Nilza Iraci and Rodnei Jerico da Silva included statistics demonstrating that while rates of violence against white women in Brazil have decreased, during the same period violence against black women has increased.

“Between 2011 and 2013, sixty-four percent of women murdered in Brazil were black,” Werneck affirmed, citing official statistics. According to figures of the Secretary for Women’s Policy, at least 4,762 women died from gender-based violence in 2013. In other words, 13 women murdered each day, 33.2 percent of whom died at the hands of a partner or spouse.

In a ranking headed by Latin American countries, the 2015 Violence Map produced by the UN placed Brazil fifth in the world for violence against women, with a rate of 4.8 cases per 100,000 women.

One of the most powerful figures cited in the study showed that from 2003-2013 murders of white women in Brazil dropped by 9.8 percent, while the number of black women killed rose from 1,864 per year to 2,875 per year, an increase of 54.2 percent. “The statistics demonstrate that the Maria de Penha Law has not been able to reduce violence against black women,” Werneck said.

In presenting specific cases, the petitioners told stories of violence against black women, be it at the hands of authorities, husbands, partners or strangers. Among the cases cited was that of Veronica Bolina, a transgender black women held in a prison for men since 2015, where after being brutally beaten by police she was forced to dress as a man in a clear act of denigration and in violation of her human rights. In conclusion of their presentation, the petitioners called for the Commission to help the Brazilian government face the structural and institutional racism confronted by black women.

Representatives of the Brazilian state argued that although statistics show that violence has increased against black women, the government has been making an effort to improve the situation of this sector of the population. Margarette May Macaulay, the Commission’s Rapporteur on the Rights of Women, asked several questions about how to guarantee black women’s sexual and reproductive rights, including the right to terminate pregnancy, especially given the Zika virus epidemic. The petitioners expressed the the majority of women victims of the virus are black. According to Werneck, seventy percent of the pregnant women carrying the Zika virus are black.

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