Geledés, Institute of the Black Woman
São Paulo – SP -Brazil
Geledés, the institute of the Black Woman is a non governmental organization, founded in 1988 by a group of black women with the objective of fighting the racial and gender discrimination in Brazilian society. They create change through public policy proposals and the promotion of gender and racial equity.
Discrimination and the host of socioeconomic problems that stem from it are a daily reality in the lives of Brazil's black women. The lack of educational and employment opportunities, constant police harassment, and a lack of access to adequate housing and health care are a few of the indignities and obstacles Afro-Brazilian women face regularly.
Geledés objective is to develop a legal and political basis to improve the general situation of black people in the country, specifically the black woman. Geledés focus is to take action on health, violence, and legal assistance issues and to produce data that will support evidence of discrimination against black women.
Geledés divides its work into three main areas: health, human rights, and communication. Through health workshops, black women from poor communities explore reproductive health issues (sexuality, contraception, sexually transmitted diseases, breast feeding, etc). The health program also sponsors discussion and support groups and publishes educational pamphlets on black women's health.
Through human rights, Geledés offers a program called SOS Racism, which brings discrimination cases to court in an effort to apply the newly won constitutional anti-discrimination law. The SOS Racism team is composed of six lawyers who offer free legal aid to victims of racial discrimination in São Paulo.
While the cases await trial, Geledés team is collaborating with the Nucleus for the Study of Violence at the University to analyze these and other complaints, looking for trends in the types of abuses suffered. Documentation of the cases is incorporated into a database that alerts a national network of human rights activists to the abuses. The Human Rights/SOS Racism program will also conduct public education campaigns, formulate policy, and lobby public policy makers on issues of importance to Brazil's black female population. Their goal is to disseminate this work as widely as possible through a communication program that uses pamphlets, publications, media, and seminars. of São Paulo
In the first four years of the SOS Racism, Geledés has already helped more than 800 people. The program inspired the formation of similar nucleus in different parts of the country bringing lawyers from several states to participate in the Geledés seminars. At present, the Geledés team is also expanding the network of SOS Racism to the Southern Cone countries of South America by involving the black movements of Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. Students from Peru, Germany, Puerto Rico and USA have also participated in internships with Geledés.
Contact Information:
Geledés, Institute of the Black Woman
Founder: Sueli Carneiro
Address: Rua Santa Isabel, 137 - 4º andar
Vila Buarque - São Paulo - SP – Brazil - CEP: 01221-000
Phone: +55 +11 3333-3444
Fax: +55 +11 3331-1592
E-mail: geledes@geledes.org.br
Website: http://www.geledes.org.br