Cidade das mulheres? A geografia da violência contra as mulheres em Santa Maria/RS: direito à cidade em perspectiva

Abstract

The city is a historical, social and economic product of social relations, being a space in constant attendance. In this perspective, historical, psychological and social determinants are important. Given this, the present work addresses the relationship between violence against women and (non) access to the Right to the City, in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul. Moreover, the work reflects on how historical and social determinants, such as the capitalist and patriarchal systems, deny women access to urban life. As a general objective, it is proposed to discuss the relationship between cases of violence against women and the (non) access to the Right to the City, in Santa Maria/RS, from the perspective of Urban Geography, Feminist Geography and the Right to the City . Specifically, it aimed to: (1) Compile and map secondary data on violence against women that occurred in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, made available by the Specialized Police Station for Women's Assistance (DEAM); (2) Identify spaces with the highest occurrence of records of violence against women in Santa Maria, relating to feminist theories and the Right to the City; (3) Dialoguing with other women about urban violence and violence against women in Santa Maria, through a conversation circle; (4) Propose reflections on the organization of city space, feminist conceptions and women's access to the urban environment in the face of violence against women. To this end, a dialogue is held with some authors who think about Feminist Geography (MONK, GARCÍA-RAMON, 1987; CALIÓ, 1997; SILVA, 1998), the relationship between city and capitalism (SPOSITO, 2020), patriarchy as a historical construction (LERNER, 2019), the right to the city (LEFEBVRE, 1989) and cartography (CASASECA, 2020). In addition, a qualitative and quantitative methodology is used, mapping and analyzing data from records of threats, bodily injuries, harassment and sexual harassment against women at the Specialized Police Station for Women's Assistance (DEAM/SM/RS), promoting dialogue through conversation circle with women activists and residents of Santa Maria, and carrying out a field trip in locations that are important for the work. With the present research, we identified places with the highest occurrence of the aforementioned crimes, and which represent a danger for women who live in Santa Maria. Some of these places are Rua dos Andradas, and Rua Tuiuti, in the Centro neighborhood. The central region was the focus of experiences reported by participants in the conversation circle, since at the same time that it is a place of access to services, it is also a place of violence. Finally, it is clear that the cases of violence registered in the municipality are part of a set of practices that segregate women, producing and reproducing spaces of greater occurrence of these crimes and spaces that are places of fear, which become spaces denied and prohibited.