Hundreds of people demonstrate in Lisbon against violence against women

Hundreds of people marched this Saturday in Lisbon to protest violence against women, chanting slogans that have already become repeated in demonstrations about the persistent reality and the numbers that remain high.

It was just after 15:30 when hundreds of people gathered in Largo do Intendente in Lisbon began to march towards Martim Moniz and then towards Rossio, carrying banners and placards with phrases already heard in previous demonstrations: “I’m confused with everyone.” “Sexist justice is not justice”, “We are not all here, there are not enough dead” and “Our fight lasts all day, we are women, not a commodity.”

The demonstration followed the rhythm of the Batuk women’s group, decorated with posters, banners and flags, and involved several generations, in the presence of Bloc de Esquerda (BE) leader Mariana Mortagua and PAN Inés Souza Real. .

Femicide, domestic violence and childbirth violence were prominent themes in the parade, which also included a call for peace in the Middle East.

Maria Luisa Salazar from the Group of Activists for Treatment (GAT), one of the 20 collectives that came together to organize this Saturday’s demonstration, recalled that this Saturday is already the 12th march, with a growing number of participants and that “unfortunately” , continues to “consider this relevant”, remembering that in 2022 there were more than 30 thousand complaints of domestic violence and that this year 25 women have already died until November alone.

“This fight must continue, we must take to the streets, we must say enough about sexist violence. (…) When we take to the streets, we strive to fight for better education for equality, for greater awareness in all areas of intervention, be it justice, access to healthcare. (…) We want to believe that this union of collectives has such an impact, and that is why we are here,” he said.

Deianira Vidal of the Feminist Core of the Faculty of Law at the University of Lisbon asked for more government support for groups fighting for women’s rights and asked for “more measures and more education” on the topic.

Even before the start of the parade, Mariana Mortagua stressed that “the biggest problem of violence in Portugal is domestic violence, it is violence against women”, saying that this problem can be fought with “cultural changes”, but not only, remembering that employees law enforcement officials who receive complaints are not always qualified to handle cases, that sexist sentencing still exists in the justice system, that judges exhibit bias in their decisions, and that economic hardship and the housing crisis are preventing the emancipation of women victims of violence.

Asked about statements made by Luis Montenegro (PSD), who called her the “Cinderella” of Pedro Nuno Santos, candidate for the leadership of the PS, the BE coordinator ironically took advantage of the date: “I can’t help but notice that it’s funny that this comment was made on the day when we celebrate the feminist struggle and the emancipation of women. I think that if the leader of the SDP had something interesting and important to say to the country, he would not get lost in comments about the princesses of the past.”

On behalf of PAN, Inés Souza Real stressed that “unfortunately, we still need to do more,” especially to the Assembly of the Republic and the government, which she accuses of failing to combat violence against women and against “the inequality of the gender structure in our country ” a country.

He stressed that PAN had received more shelters for the 2024 state budget with the right to house victims’ pets, but regretted that the “perfectly suitable” offer of 500 thousand euros per year to guarantee the office was rejected. for victims in all structures of the country’s prosecutor’s office.

At the forefront of the demonstration, Daphne Rego, social education specialist at the shelter, stressed to Lusa the importance of demonstrations like Saturday’s to raise awareness and show victims that “they can break the cycle of violence” that sometimes repeats itself in families, generation after generation.

Daphne Rego notes that “resistance is growing, complaints are increasing,” but those who seek help on their own initiative are still not the majority, noting, for example, that sometimes the mothers of victims ask for intervention.

A few steps away from a postcard that read, “On the way home, I want to be free, not brave,” university student Margarida Pereira described her fear of walking alone on the street at night as a fear that more women would survive. daily and has no doubt that “a lot needs to be done in terms of mentalities.”

“We don’t feel safe going out at night, we’re scared, we need to call someone to keep us company and be able to ask for help if something happens. Until we are all safe, we won’t be able to stop,” she said.

Following the conversation, Diogo Jesus’ daughter follows her father on Martim Moniz’s lap, accompanied by her mother and older brother. The family’s activities mainly focus on obstetric violence. Diogo Jesus and his wife are members of the Obstetric Violence Observatory (OVO), which last year received more than 400 complaints about a problem “that the Medical Association does not recognize.”

“There is no recognition of bad birth practices here. Only those who are informed can protect themselves from these bad practices,” criticized Diogo Jesus.

November 25 marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.