‘Stop killing us’: Huge crowds rally in Brazil, decrying rise in femicide

Demonstrators march successful Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and different cities, calling for an extremity to femicide, rape and misogyny.

Tens of thousands of women person marched successful cities crossed Brazil, denouncing femicide and gender-based violence, aft a bid of high-profile cases that shocked the country.

Women of each ages and immoderate men took to the streets successful Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and different cities connected Sunday, calling for an extremity to femicide, rape and misogyny.

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In Rio, the protesters enactment retired dozens of achromatic crosses, portion others bore stickers with messages specified arsenic “machismo kills”. And successful Sao Paulo, the demonstrators chanted, “Stop sidesplitting us”, and held placards that read, “Enough of femicide”.

The protesters successful Rio’s Copacabana included Alline de Souza Pedrotti, whose sister was killed connected November 28 by a antheral colleague. Pedrotti said the idiosyncratic who killed her sister, an administrative worker astatine a school, did not judge having pistillate bosses.

“I’m devastated,” she told The Associated Press quality agency. “But I’m warring done the pain, and I won’t stop. I privation changes successful the authorities and caller protocols to forestall this benignant of transgression from happening again.”

The protesters besides denounced different shocking cases that took spot past period successful Sao Paulo and successful the confederate metropolis of Florianopolis. In Sao Paulo connected November 28, Taynara Souza Santos was tally implicit by her ex-boyfriend and trapped by the car, which dragged her implicit factual for 1 kilometre (0.6 mile).

The 31-year-old’s injuries were truthful severe, her legs were amputated.

Video footage of the incidental went viral.

And successful Florianopolis connected November 21, English teacher Catarina Kasten was raped and strangled to decease connected a way adjacent to a formation connected her mode to a swimming lesson.

These caller cases were “the last straw”, said Isabela Pontes, who was connected Sao Paulo’s Paulista Avenue. “I person suffered galore forms of abuses, and today, I americium present to amusement our voice.”

A decennary ago, Brazil passed a instrumentality recognising the transgression of femicide, defined arsenic the decease of a pistillate successful the home sphere oregon arsenic resulting from contempt for women.

Last year, 1,492 women were victims of femicide, the highest fig since the instrumentality was introduced successful 2015, according to the Brazilian Forum connected Public Safety.

“We’re seeing an summation successful numbers, but besides successful the strength and cruelty of violence,” said Juliana Martins, an adept successful gender-based unit and organization relations manager astatine the Brazilian Forum connected Public Safety.

More women are speaking retired against unit targeting them, and person gained visibility successful the nationalist sphere, Martins said.

“Social transformations seeking equality of rights and practice make convulsive responses aimed astatine reaffirming women’s subordination,” she said.

In Rio, Lizete de Paula, 79, said men who hatred women had felt empowered during the word of erstwhile President Jair Bolsonaro, who dismantled nationalist policies aimed astatine strengthening women’s rights.

“Women are progressively entering caller spaces and macho men can’t basal this,” the erstwhile designer said.

Joao Pedro Cordao, a 45-year-old begetter of 3 daughters, said men person a work to basal with women by calling retired misogyny, not lone astatine protests but successful day-to-day life.

“Only past volition we beryllium capable to enactment an extremity to – oregon astatine slightest trim – the existent unit against women,” helium said.