Hundreds of pupils gathered outside João de Deus Secondary School in Faro on Tuesday morning, taking to the streets to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Dressed in black with purple accents, students handed out protest signs, before then marching through the city centre.
The event, organised annually for over five years by the school’s Citizenship and Development team, drew record participation after other local schools joined the initiative for the first time.
“What began as a way to raise awareness inside the school has now grown far beyond that,” said teacher Ana Vairinhos, who coordinated the march. “This year we surpassed all expectations.”
More than 300 students walked along Avenida 5 de Outubro and Rua Dr Cândido Guerreiro, finishing at Largo do Mercado, where the final gathering took place. Chants of “not one more” and “a woman’s place is wherever she chooses” rang through the streets.
Among them was 16-year-old Beatriz Gonçalves from Tomás Cabreira Secondary School. She says the issue affects everyone. “I was thrilled to take part. This movement strengthens the position of women in society, which still isn’t equal. I fight for that every day,” she said.
Beatriz says she has already experienced harassment. “It happens constantly, comments, verbal abuse, sometimes physical. At our age it’s often verbal: being called things just for existing. It has to stop.”
Leading the march was 11th-year pupil Tomás Lopes, drum in hand. “As men, we also have to be here,” he said. “We made noise, we gave women a voice, and we involved hundreds of people. I hope even more schools join us next year.”
Teacher Ana Lúcia says students are increasingly aware of how violence and discrimination affect different generations. “Girls feel the impact of new technologies, including image editing. Boys are supportive, they understand that in an inclusive school, these issues affect everyone.”
For coordinators Ana Vairinhos and Carla Alves, this work is essential. “Many of these topics aren’t discussed at home. They must be addressed in schools if we want a society that is prepared, engaged and ready to defend its rights,” they said.
According to the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), in 2022 women made up 83 % of victims of intimate-partner domestic violence and 80 % of all domestic-violence victims recorded by police in Portugal.
Even though Portugal’s police data show many thousands of reported cases each year, those figures capture only incidents formally registered, a fraction of the total violence that likely occurs. Experts underline that the officially available data as “only the tip of the iceberg.”
Source: Sul Informação
Photo credit: Mariana Carriço
