Violence against women blights Brazil, says president

RIO DE JANEIRO. — Sexism and violence against women bring “shame” to the Brazilian society, President Dilma Rousseff said Monday.
Marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Rousseff, Brazil’s first female president, said via Twitter that the Brazilian society continues to be “sexist and full of prejudice.” Ending violence against women is necessary for creating a fairer, more equal society, she said. The president highlighted some of her administration’s measures to help battered women.

A major programme is to create a network of women’s shelters, called Women’s Houses, which provide several necessary services in a single place, such as police specialised in domestic violence, a public defender’s office, psychological support, job placement and others, so victims don’t have to go to all the different authorities.

President Rousseff also stressed the importance of Brazil’s so-called Maria da Penha Law, a comprehensive domestic violence law named after a victim whose case has become widely known. November 25 is valued in many countries and was established by the United Nations in honour of the Mirabal sisters, three political activists in the Dominican Republic who were murdered in 1960. — Xinhua.