Black Woman's Right to Health in Brazil

On June 12th, the first training course in Black Woman's Right to Health in Brazil was concluded. In this edition, held April 17th to June 12th, counted with the participation of more than 30 women São Mateus, a district of eastern São Paulo, and ten women the Vale do Ribeira community. The participants are black leaders recognized in their communities for their work as citizenship agents - Promotoras Legais Populares (PLP) - or heath agents.

This training course is part of the Black Woman's Right to Health in Brazil Project, carried out by Conectas Direitos Humanos in association with Geledés - Instituto da Mulher Negra and financed by the European Union. This project aims at making women capable of working in the defense of their right to health, and at strengthening the combat against racial discrimination in health services in Brazil. This training course approaches specially issues related to black women right to health, right racial equality, sexual and reproductive rights, domestic violence and most common diseases affecting black women.

Denise Aparecida de Deus, one of the participants, said that the training course exceeded her expectations. Physiotherapist and quilombola, she wants to transmit what she learned to other women Vale do Ribeira. Cristiane Alves Wigboski, Monte Seco quilombo, heard about the training course trough other people your community and was very pleased with what she learned. She affirmed that she now has got information that she could not have access if was not trough the training course.

Maria Aparecida Santos da Silva also praised the course. The retired health agent said that the classes were not only important to learn more, but also to recapitulate all the experiences that she had. "The teachers are excellent and it was not difficult to understand the classes. We could see that everyone came with satisfaction to attend the course", said. 

Telma Lucia Farias da Silva, São Matheus Hospital PLP, said that she done the training course to learn more about health and racial discrimination and started to observe in a different way the attendance given to black people in the hospital she works. Danielle Izidoro Vargem, who was pregnant during the course period, said: "this course changed my life. The debates were excellent, they gave us tools to fights against dogmas, mainly the religious ones".  


The second training course on Black Woman's Right to Health started on June 19th and is followed the same methodology as the first edition. So, more women will be enabled to protect their rights and to fight against the racial discrimination in the health system in Brazil.