The patriarchy kills – Justice for Débora!

That the red of murdered women’s blood

stain!

walls, stairs and windows

mute, blind and deaf

that the red spilled gain life, strength and make yourself recognized by all of us…

Poem by Patricia Ribeiro – Sobbing blood

We received with indignation and sadness the news of the loss of another companion due to the violence of the patriarchy. Yesterday afternoon, Débora Moraes, a member of the coordination of the Movement of People Affected by Dams (MAB) in Porto Alegre, was murdered. She was a young woman, mother, joyful and fierce, who placed herself on the front line of the fight for justice. Débora had just won the right to resettlement and was not even able to experience her achievement. Débora’s husband was arrested at the scene of the crime and taken away by the police. She leaves a 6-year-old daughter.

Patriarchy is structured as a system of women’s domination and it is reproduced through violence. The violence that today takes the life of our companion Débora, and, every day, takes the life of a woman each 6 and a half hours, according to data from the Brazilian Public Security Forum. And how many more have not been notified?

The hatred against us, women, and the desire for control over our bodies and lives are strengthened today in Brazil and find expression in the government of Jair Bolsonaro. The stimulus to violence, mockery in the face of death, and open male chauvinism mark his speech and actions. The worsening of living conditions, the loss of jobs, and the abandonment of social policies also worsen the situation and leave us even more exposed to violence. Faced with the loss of our companion, we reaffirm our commitment to fighting to defeat once and for all the project of the death of Bolsonarism.

Our companion was the victim of a type of war that happens every day inside the houses and also on the streets. At first, it may not be so noisy, it may be subtle, silent, full of pain, and hidden marks. Until one day, this war reaches the cruelest, most painful, and most inhuman form: being unable to live.

This, violence against women takes place on a daily basis, in words that threaten, ridicule, humiliate and manipulate. In the control of actions, behaviors, beliefs, and financial resources. It happens in the nudge, in the slap, in the kick. It happens in the control of the female body by the man.

In this culture of violence, 2 out of 3 women victims of femicide in Brazil are black: an index that is the result of the devastating union of the patriarchal system and racism that structure capitalism and its reproduction. Femicide has color and class and leaves sons and daughters orphans and mothers and fathers without daughters, it leaves a void forever in the lives of those who remain.

We women affected by dams from MAB  sympathize with the family, friends, and comrades in the struggle of Débora. In this moment of pain and revolt, we will not silence. We raise our voices for an end to violence against women, we say enough is enough for femicide. We call for the need to tackle the root of the problem through debate and practical actions that address the historical inequalities that make gender, race, and class structure dynamics of oppression. We demand justice and policies to protect women from the authorities. We want an end to this genocidal, racist, misogynist, and LGBTphobic government and we fight for equal rights and a culture of peace.

We continue to struggle for Débora, Dilma, Nicinha, Bertha, Marielle, Dorothy and so many other companions whose strength inspires us to continue. Like the rivers, which grow when they come together, we – affected women – gather our resistance in every group of families, community, and resettlement, in every periphery and reaffirm that our struggle is for the lives of women.

From all rivers across Brazil, September 13, 2022.

Débora Moraes, present! present! present! Women, water, and energy are not commodities!