The transnational research network on destitute, violated, and assaulted maternity (REMA), in partnership with the Latin American Center on Sexuality and Human Rights (CLAM), held an online roundtable discussion this past November 26th. Nearly a month after the massacre resulting from the deadliest police operation in the country’s history, in the Complexo da Penha and Alemão in the city of Rio de Janeiro, the meeting focused on the theme of maternities violated by the State.
The activity was conducted by professors from UERJ and members of REMA as part of the project and extension course “Maternities and Violences: Strengthening the Right to Health and Support Networks.” The course is linked to the Hésio Cordeiro Institute of Social Medicine in partnership with the Institute of Social Sciences and is available through the UERJ Telehealth Platform. Every semester, the project organizes online roundtables via Zoom with students from different regions of the country who have completed the course on the platform.
The latest roundtable featured the participation of professors Ricardo Campelo (IMS/UERJ) and Juliana Farias (ICS/UERJ and REMA), as well as Ivanir Mendes dos Santos, a member of the Movement of Mothers Against State Violence. Ricardo and Juliana opened the conversation by highlighting two sides of State violence in Brazil: the subordination of forensic institutions to the police, as well as mass incarceration, which primarily affects the Black population. “Forensics for the poor does not exist. They claim there is no forensics because there is no security within the communities,” Ivanir denounced.
A teacher in the third module of the REMA course, the activist shared her work in the struggle for rights and justice, highlighting the impacts on the physical and psychological health of family members whose lives are intersected by state violence. “When we talk about violence and falling ill, psychologically the mother never returns; we try to fight all the time,” says Ivanir, who is the mother of Moisés de Santana, killed by military police in Pavão-Pavãozinho, Copacabana, in October 2016, at the age of 21.
Following this, the students who participated in the roundtable were invited to share the possibilities for resistance they believe state agents can promote from their respective fields of practice. The participants worked on the theme in different regions of Brazil across various areas—such as nursing, law, psychology, and social work—and shared their experiences. Other topics covered in the course were also debated, such as: obstetric violence, destitution, the intersection of race, gender, class, and territory, and the lack of humanization in services. Also participating in the roundtable were Laura Lowenkron (CLAM/IMS/UERJ) and Janaína Gentili, who are part of the coordination team and teaching staff for the REMA course, along with UERJ extension interns Alana Silva and Tainá Pereira.
Launched in March 2025, the online extension course “Maternities and Violences: Strengthening the Right to Health and Support Networks” is an initiative of REMA, in partnership with CLAM, with funding from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). The UERJ extension project linked to the course is supported by the Carlos Chagas Filho Foundation for Research Support of the State of Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ). Coordinated by Laura Lowenkron (UERJ), Lucia Eilbaum (UFF), and Natália Fazzioni (Fiocruz), the course currently has a total of 843 enrollees and approximately 190 graduates.
*Text by Alana Silva and Thainá Pereira (UERJ extension interns), under the supervision of Laura Lowenkron.