Questions/Answers

According to the Perseu Abramo Foundation (2011), every two minutes, five women are victims of domestic and family violence in Brazil. Motivated by the high statistical indexes in Bahia, the Government decided to create new mechanisms that would work to defend women's human rights.On March 8, 2015, International Women's Day Bahia´s government creates Maria da Penha Patrol - RMP, Military Police Unit, specialized troop working in the prevention and coping with domestic and family violence against women. The main activities are daily follow-up visits to women who have had the protective measure of urgency deferred by Justice (protective perspective) in addition to Lectures and Projects (preventive perspective) to promote behavioral change in men and women, fomenting the cultural re-signification practice in society. The RMP headquarters is located in the Suburb Railroad of Salvador, an area with significant rates of violence against women, a crucial factor in the choice. One of the problems faced is the flattening of the staff. There is only 29 Military Police Officers of both sexes to deal with this growing demand. Despite this, and due to the success of the operation, the RMP is located in other five municipalities of Bahia, in addition to requestings from other municipalities. Because of its work reference, it served as a benchmarking for the implementation and study of similar initiatives, in the States of Maranhão, Alagoas, Sergipe and Rondônia and was featured in Programs in the National Network.The British Embassy, through the Brazilian Forum of Public Security – FBSP and Bahia State Government, promoted an exchange of experience and knowledge transfer between the Military Police of Bahia and the Military Police of London. The RMP received several awards: the Seal of Innovative Practices to Combat Violence against Women; experiences developed by Public Security Professionals (2017),FBSP, with its Patrol Project for Men.

The RMP emerged from the social clamor regarding the more active participation of the Bahia's Public Security actions to women who, after entering the system of protection and coping with violence against them, need a military police accompaniment to safeguard their life. Visits are carried out by Military Police Groups who were trained to avoid aggravation of occurrences and reduce the rates of femicide (death of women by gender) in Bahia. The military presence in carrying out the visits has a significant impact, taking care of the victim's family, curbing the offender in the practice of crime, and, above all, modifying the position of the community, which is aware of the presence of the Military Police, thus encouraging them to report similar cases. The work of the RMP does not take place in isolation, since it contemplates the interaction between Public agencies and Institutions, strengthening the Network to Protect Women Victims of Violence and providing them with relevant information to adopt legal procedures to meet personal and family demands of these women. Aiming at reaching the preventive perspective of the Maria da Penha's Law, Law 11.340/06, which created mechanisms to restrain domestic and family violence against women.

The “Maria da Penha” Patrol (Ronda Maria da Penha - RMP) is an innovative practice that has local, regional, national and international prominence, due to the results it has achieved in promoting the Human Rights of Women by avoiding femicide (gender oriented homicide) of the women assisted by the service by their ex-husbands, ex-partners and ex-boyfriends, which constitute the majority of the public promoting such violence, through monitoring and control of Urgent Protective Orders. It is important to note that most of these women have children and that these children and adolescents also experience violence that destroys entire families. As a preventive work (another work perspective), we dialogue through our Projects with Men (“Ronda para Homens” Patrol for Men), women assisted by the RMP (“Projeto Espelho” - Mirror Project), Military Police Officers (“Papo com a Tropa” - Chat with the Troops), women who still do not recognize the cycle of violence (“Jogo Espelho” - Mirror Game), and we conduct lectures with children, adolescents and the community in general, seeking a playful way to reach them promoting a culture of peace. All these movements seek to contribute in order to achieve what is proposed in the 5 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals).

2030 Agenda guides towards the protection of human rights, promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls as one of its priority points. Most of the women that are victims of domestic and family violence which are assisted by the Ronda Maria da Penha - RPM, arrive with their lives devastated, in other words, low self esteem, depression and other mental health requests, many are unemployed and most fear to leave home and be located by their aggressor. The RMP has a Military Police Team, men and women, trained to deal with issues related to gender, domestic and family violence against women. When identifying in the daily visits any of the demands indicated above, the Police group provides the information to a Multidisciplinary Team of the RMP, who will manage these demands. Due to these crimes repression, the initiative improves the lives of these women, which, regained their self-esteem, go back to work and move on, giving a new meaning to their lives and those of their children. The RMP through its Projects, Workshops and Lectures also leads to urban and rural communities, dialogues on women's empowerment, coping with domestic and family violence against women.

Before implementing RMP, the Military Police action against the phenomenon that was to corroborate with the maxim that "in the struggle of husband and wife no one takes the spoon" based on the construction of the Brazilian society that was focused on patriarchy and this structure grants "power" to men within the family cycle, including, but not explicitly, legitimizing the latter's violence against their wives. Due to this cultural issue, the military police tended not to effect prisons, to discredit women's arguments related to domestic violence, among other points. As a result women also did not refer to PMBA as a place of welcome and, rather, to total discredit their protection and safeguard of their rights. The RMP enters this scenario to make a triple appeal: To reformulate the internal posture of the PMBA; Ensure police presence in favor of women's rights in situations of domestic violence; Promote cultural resignification throughout the society in which it operates. The supervision and monitoring of the Emergency Protective Measures through the daily visits of the garrisons, as well as to the realization of our Projects, Workshops and Lectures with the community in general.

Since March 2015 up to November 2017, the "Ronda Maria da Penha" - RMP has been protecting 1810 women in the capital and five municipalities in Bahia. These Project have already benefited approximately 7,000 people (men and women). Others projects that consolidate the proposal: The "Men's Patrol", which dialogues with men who respond to the crime of violence against women, as well as those who have not yet suffered formally reported violence. In the workshop where male military police officers speak to groups of men about the phenomenon of violence, 380 men were trained, including military police officers. The "Mirror Game", developed by Ronda Maria da Penha, helps women to identify and recognize abusive relationships. By November 2017, 280 community women and military police officers were served by this dynamic. Another iniciative named "Women of Courage" brings to the barracks the women attended by Ronda Maria da Penha to Empowerment, Entrepreneurship, Plastic Arts, Theater and other workshops, fostering the self-esteem of these women. The results of the RMP are seen through its participation in TV, Radio, Regional, National and International Press, which has fomented new requests to other Municipalities of Bahia that wish to implement a similar Project.

The Patrol "Ronda Maria da Penha" is a result of a cross action between two Bahia's State Departments: State Department of Policies for Women- "SPM" and State Department of Public Security - "SSP". To transform the Military Police into a humanized space for women victims of domestic and family violence, as well as promoting an educational, protective and preventive dialogue focused on human rights for women and girls, within an institution known for its mannish and hermetic form in the social dialogue, makes this initiative innovative and motivating. The RMP is a Project that works to safeguard life and the guarantee of human rights based on sorority and the recognition of cultural fragilities in which women and girls have been submitted throughout history. This is a Cultural Movement that joins forces moving towards the same goal: The Elimination of Domestic and Family Violence. In the Carnival of 2018, the RMP in partnership with SPM and with the support of UN Women Brazil, will act in the Municipal Square in the Campaign against gender violence in Carnival and offering support for women in case of any kind of violence in the Circuit.

Ronda Maria da Penha of Bahia's Military Police - PM/BA was inspired by the "Patrulha Maria da Penha", a pioneering project of the Military Brigade of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, which began in October 2012. Due to regional characteristics, the "Patrulha Maria da Penha" does not have adicional projects and performance. The innovative initiative of linking police action to social projects in order to foster cultural empowerment and re-signification, makes the Ronda Maria da Penha unique in Brazil and a national reference in facing domestic and family violence against women. Therefore, when we realized that only the protection perspective carried out through the supervision and monitoring of the Urgency Protective Measures deferred by the Justice and directed to the monitoring of the RMP, did not solve other issues that would arise during the course of the service, requests for lectures and workshops for different publics, which encouraged the creation of additional projects that today reach women (assisted and community) men (aggressors and non-aggressors), adolescents and children and thus, we also achieve what it says the Law Maria da Penha (Law 11.340/06), in the integrated measures of prevention foreseen in Art 8º and subsection V.

The RMP has a cadre of professionals composed of 95 military policemen, 08 vehicles, 06 work spaces. The Projects are carried out with resources of Bahia State Government. The RMP has the support of the State Secretariat of Policies for Women (SPM/Ba), with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), which contribute to the assignment of professionals for the training of the Troop on issues of gender, domestic and family violence against women, sexual abuse and exploitation of girls and the carrying out of Campaigns on the themes in question. The creation of the Governance Committee, established by Decree No. 16,303 of 08/27/2015, which consists of the Technical Cooperation between the State of Bahia, through the Public Security Secretariat (SSP/Ba) and the Civil Police (through the Special Police Department of Technical Police - DPT), the Military Police of Bahia (with the Maria da Penha Round), State Secretariat for Policies for Women – SPM/Ba, Bahia Public Prosecution Service - MP/Ba, Bahia Public Defense - DP/Ba and Court of Justice of Bahia - TJ/Ba, with the aim of working in Network to fight against the Phenomenon of Domestic and Family Violence against Women.

Yes

The RMP was started on March 8, 2015, in the Municipality of Salvador, the capital of the state of Bahia. It has already been replicated for five municipalities of the state: Juazeiro, Paulo Afonso, Feira de Santana, Vitória da Conquista and Itabuna, besides the existing requests to other Municipalities. The implementation of other Units in the countryside occurred through technical advice from both Military Police Officers of the RMP of Salvador and techniques provided by the State Department of Policies for Women - SPM/BA training the military police officers who volunteered to make up the team. Because of its work reference, it served as a benchmarking for the implementation and study of similar initiatives, in the States of Maranhão, Alagoas, Sergipe and Rondônia and was featured in Programs in the National Network. The British Embassy, through the Brazilian Forum of Public Security – FBSP and Bahia State Government, promoted an exchange of experience and knowledge transfer between the Military Police of Bahia and the Military Police of London To promote preventive and protective actions (Projects, Workshops and Lectures), the RMP of Salvador held on May 29 and 30, 2017, at the University Salvador-UNIFACS, the First Meeting of RMP from Bahia Municipalities.

The most significant response of this initiative is the change in the behavior of the military policemen who work in facing the domestic and family violence against women. This initiative caused the Corporation to change its position regarding crimes related to this issue and to recognize the man as an aggressor, improving the first service (the military police occurrence) of women victims of violence, creating credibility in the service of public security, among women who are in situations of violence , especially in the military police. The Public Security compromise with the safety and life of women in all spaces, not only in the public, but especially in private spaces. The public security organs evolve socially and cognitively with training and behavioral changes. The empowerment of women, and consequently in women becoming more demanding in defense of their rights, when they have broken the cycle of violence, strengthened their self-esteem, and resignified their history and family. It is also important to note that none of the 1,810 attended by RMP, capital and municipalities units (recorded from March 2015 to November 2017) were victims of femicide (death by gender), which reveals that we can guarantee the main human right: the right to life. The RMP activities reach our direct public (those assisted by the Service and their families) and indirect, that is, people that we reach through the Projects, Workshops and Lectures, in addition to our participation in TV, Radio Programs and local, regional, national and international newspapers. Working to confront the phenomenon of domestic and family violence against women is an arduous task that already shows results, when we perceive the preservation of women's lives, as well as the movements and strategies created for their confrontation, especially with the articulation and support of the Services foreseen by the Governance Committee.

The phenomenon of domestic and family violence against women is a perverse cultural relationship that is trailing since the Brazilian social origination. Their confrontation will undergo behavioral change throughout society. Ronda Maria da Penha's role as a tool to foster this change will remain until this understanding is fully and accurately understood by civil society (men and women), as by the military police, and will require time, dedication, creativity and perseverance. The proposal is to expand activities by reaching not only domestic and family violence against women but all forms of violence that affect the female gender. For that, since its creation (March 2015) and with its expansion to another 05 Municipalities of the State: Juazeiro, Feira de Santana, Paulo Afonso, Vitória da Conquista and Itabuna (according to data from March 2015 to November of 2017), we carried out 1810 accompaniments, 356 Lectures and Workshops (reaching an approximate number of 7,000 people) participation in 342 external events, besides TV and Radio Programs, Newspapers, Alternative Medias (Youtube Channels, Web Radios, among others) at the local, regional, national and international levels. The RMP works based on the doctrine and philosophy of community policing, in which one of the main objectives is to approach the community, analyzing and prioritizing contemporary problems such as: domestic and family violence against women. It is the program of the Bahia's Military Police with greater visibility in the last 02 years, having initiatives awarded in the local and national spheres, like the Project Patrol for Men. Our results, whether with the modification of the military police force, or with the accompaniment offered to women victims of domestic and family violence against women, or through community recognition and awards obtained, strengthen sustainability in our work, at the extent to be a reference for other similar initiatives.

Yes

Preventive actions (daily visits), repressive (prisoners of aggressors) and Project (Women of Courage Project) were evaluated based on specific forms handled by RMP and answered by the beneficiaries of the services. Military police officers are procedurally assessed through the results of their actions and professional positions, as well as being guided to playful-therapeutic activities so that they can listen to their mental processes since in the work environment and in that demand for monitoring, evaluation and supervision of the Emergency Protective Measures deferred by Justice and forwarded to the RMP, they are in contact with the demands and violence found in the visits they perform daily. The Commander of the RPM made partnerships with institutions that work with the therapeutic perspective in order to act in the health and well-being of the Military Police as a way of caring for the Caregiver. The Projects and Workshops are created by Military Police Officers who have another academic education (Social Assistants and Bachelor of Laws) and are evaluated by the participants and facilitators. We also have the evaluations of the Institutions that make up the Governance Committee and work together with the RMP to Confront Domestic and Family Violence against Women.

Our main objective is the supervision and monitoring of the Urgency Protective Measures provided by the Maria da Penha Law (Law 11.340/06) and forwarded by Justice to the "RMP". We will focus on the evaluation of the performance's impact in the post-service survey with a sample of RMP assisted, who had their service terminated in 2015, 2016 and 2017, and answered the most significant questions. Quantity of people assisted that finished the treatment: 2015- 61 (100%) 2016- 164 (100%) 2017- 60 (100%) Quantity of people assisted that answered the interview and percentage: 2015- 14 (23%) 2016- 48 (29%) 2017 -17 (29%) Did they feel safer during the RMP accompaniment? YES NO 2015- 79% 21% 2016- 92% 0,8% 2017 - 100% 0,0% Did the assailant came back to persecute after the accompaniment of RMP? YES NO 2015 21% 79% 2016- 13% 87% 2017 - 12% 88% Service Quality bad regular good great excellent 2015- 0,0% 0,0% 21% 43% 36% 2016- 0,4% 0,02% 10% 51% 53% 2017- 0,0% 0,00% 12% 24% 64% This instrument serves to analyzing the scope of our action directly on the attended women and their families and how the assailant responds to the monitoring and surveillance

For those attended by Ronda Maria da Penha (referring to the daily visits): Evaluation Form Post-service, telephone contact; For those attended by Ronda Maria da Penha (referring to the Women of Courage Project's participation): Activity Assessment Sheet, Attendance numbers; For Military Police officers participating in the Mirror and Round Projects for Men: Activity Assessment Sheet, Attendance Number ; For people in the community who participate in the Mirror and Round Projects for Men: Activity Assessment Sheet, Attendance Number; For Military Police officers participating in the talks: Attendance Number; For the people of the community participating in the Lectures: Attendance Number; For Military Police officers who work in the Ronda Maria da Penha in relation to Services provided: Assiduity, Commitment to the cause, Seizure of knowledge, Applicability in daily life, Interaction with Assisted.

The Ronda Maria da Penha has been created through a Technical Cooperation Agreement signed by the Bahia's State Government, the Court of Justice, the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Public Defender's Office. This term had as a deployment the creation of a Governance Committee (State Decree 16,303, of 08/27/15) that includes all the Institutions involved in Social Management of the Patrol (by the Government, are the State Department of Policies for Women and the State Department of Public Security through the Department of Technical Police and Civil Police). This Committee meets bimonthly and addresses the demands related to the confrontation of domestic violence against women, promoted by Ronda Maria da Penha. Allied to this Committee, the Ronda dialogues with the Brazilian/Bahia Order of Attorneys Association, Non-Governmental Organizations ( ÔTamo Juntas, PLAN International, for example), and other State Departments, such as Labor, Employment and Income - SETRE, State Department for Promotion of Equality - SEPROMI, State Department for Rural Development, State Department of Justice, Human Rights and Social Development - SJDHDS and Municipal Department of Policies for Women Childhood and Youth - SPMJ and the Municipal Department of Reparation. Ronda Maria da Penha is part of the Attention to Women Victims of Domestic and Family Violence Network, composed of several institutions that work to confront the Domestic and Family Violence against Women phenomenon, in Salvador city and the Metropolitan Region.

There is no way to change a social practice without changing people; changing people can never be just the bias of repression, combat, imprisonment, violence. Changing culture requires changing the way of thinking and respecting our neighbor. Ronda Maria da Penha brings as a main lesson to the corporation, as well as to society, that we need to dialogue about violence against women and that we must repress, but most of all we must prevent, educate and strive for respect for human integrity, in this case, the integrity of women and girls in our society, doing this exercise through behavioral change , as well as a new look to human dignity.