Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro to commemorate genocide of black women every March 14

Brazilian municipality Rio de Janeiro has set aside a day to highlight the genocide of black women.

Set for March 14, the day will also commemorate the life and times of Marielle Franco, a black politician, feminist, and human rights activist who was killed on March 14 2018.

The governor of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Luiz Fernando Pezão, signed into law earlier the day, called “Marielle Franco Day – a day against the genocide of the black woman”.

The day will also involve the discussions and debates on the murder of black women in a country where black women aged 15-29 are killed at twice the rate of white women in the same age group, reports Rio Times

According to Renata Souza, the councillor’s former chief of staff, it is time to put black women at the centre of public policy.

To have March 14th as a date that saves and revives Marielle Franco’s struggle for the lives of black, poor, favela and peripheral women is very important and symbolic. It is urgent that black women be the focus of public policies because they are the main victims of the lack of state assistance. Therefore, it is these black women who in the last ten years have the highest rates of feminicide when they are murdered by their spouses in abusive relationships.

Franco’s unsolved death in March highlighted racial inequality in Brazil and robbed under-represented black women in the favelas a champion.