Women and Violence: Portuguese Campaign to Support Mari Ferrer Mobilizes Europe

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The campaign began in the first week of this month with the involvement of people from several Portuguese cities and other European countries such as Spain, the Netherlands, Poland and Switzerland. They sent photos naming their cities and featuring the hashtag #justicapormariferrer (#justiceformariferrer).

According to Cyntia de Paula, president of ‘Casa do Brasil de Lisboa’ (Brazil House in Lisbon), in addition to the shares, the initiative has already had hundreds of reactions on social networks. Campaigns like the one calling for justice for Mari Ferrer are crucial for women victims of violence to understand “that they are not alone”, she points out.

“The collective voice has much more reach. So, fighting for justice together will make a huge difference,” adds Ana Paula Costa, founder of the Geni platform and also board member of the ‘Casa do Brasil’ in Lisbon.

The Mari Ferrer case

In December 2018, in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, young Mariana Ferrer registered an incident report stating that she had been drugged and raped by entrepreneur André de Camargo Aranha.

Footage of the hearing, held last September through videoconference, show Cláudio Gastão da Rosa Filho, the entrepreneur’s attorney, repeatedly insulting and humiliating the young woman. In an attempt to disqualify the charge, the defense showed photos of Mari Ferrer as a model. She appealed to judge Rudson Marcos, of the 3rd Criminal Court of Florianópolis for respect.

The prosecutor in charge of the case considered that there had been no intention of rape, and André de Camargo Aranha was acquitted by the Court. When the courtroom hearing footage was shared on social networks, the case sparked outrage and indignation.

“We cannot allow a woman who denounces sexual violence to be blamed and humiliated as she was throughout the whole process. This misogynistic justice is entirely unacceptable, and we couldn’t sit still irrespective of where we are in the world,” says the president of ‘Casa do Brasil’ in Lisbon.

Misogyny

Commenting on the significance of the campaign, Cyntia de Paula explains that social mobilization is critical to denounce the “misogynistic judicial system that abuses women who have been victims of violence and who have been raped.”

According to Ana Paula Costa, “Unfortunately, Mari’s case is proof of how justice and criminal procedure need to be reconsidered.” In her opinion, the judicial system must protect the victims of violence “because we know that there are many cases in which a woman denounces an attack, and after that she is a victim of femicide, for instance. The system has failed, hasn’t it?” questions Costa.

Women, “don’t give up”

According to Cyntia de Paula, the way Mari Ferrer was treated “is extremely serious” and may ultimately hinder new denunciations “in the sense that it discourages other victims”.

The founder of the Geni platform makes an appeal: “What I would like to say is for women not to feel discouraged and not to give up denouncing; and to also tell other people, who witness violence, that they be the voice of these women when they cannot speak.”

Participating in the campaign

Anyone wishing to join the campaign, simply send a photo through Facebook, the ‘Casa do Brasil’ in Lisbon’s Instagram or through the Geni platform which also has a Twitter account. The photo with the name of the participant’s city with the hashtag #justicapormariferrer may also be sent by email to [email protected].

Source: UOL

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