Brava: Social worker at the Victim Support Center calls for more awareness-raising on alcoholism

The social technician from the Victim Support Center (CAV) Domingas Coelho considered today that more awareness raising actions on alcoholism are needed, believing that cases of GBV may decrease even further.

The technician provided Inforpress with a balance of the activities carried out in the first quarter and on the analysis of data regarding the complaints of cases of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) that she had received so far.

According to the same source, in the first quarter, 13 cases were entered in the CAV, marking a decrease compared to the same period in 2022.

Domingas Coelho pointed out that the decrease in the number of cases has a lot to do with the awareness actions that have been carried out on the ground, but does not rule out the possibility that there is still “a great fear and taboo” in the victims about complaints.

In this regard, he underlined that he has been working to “alert and open the minds” of people in the communities, encouraging them to denounce situations of GBV.

However, he also highlighted that the law is "more rigorous and effective" in order to give a close fight to these cases, leading people to ponder a little before practicing acts of GBV.

But, in this fight, he asks the responsible entities to work a little more on the issue of raising awareness about alcohol consumption, justifying that around 90 percent (%) of the registered cases, the aggressors are under the influence of alcohol.

In this sense, it calls for a partnership and more actions on the ground, believing that GBV cases will decrease even more.

Regarding the plan of activities, he informed that he has focused on awareness actions in schools, covering all two Educational Complexes on the island, but also in the communities.

Regarding the cases of complaints, he stressed that as soon as it receives notices from the National Police or notifications from the Public Ministry, the CAV monitors the victims, informing them about their rights, and also monitors the evolution of the cases.

Still on the complaints, he revealed that there have been cases by the male sex, but that when they are investigated and analyzed they are faced with people who have already practiced GBV and who have been judged.

“In the face of any discussion with the partner, they rush to report in a preventive position, fearing that the partner will report first and the situation will get worse”, he concluded.

Asked about the most prevalent types of violence in Brava, Domingas Coelho highlighted that normally women suffer almost all types of violence, but physical, psychological and patrimonial violence have been the ones that stand out the most in this area.

The technician showed that the intention is to continue with awareness-raising actions to try to reduce cases of GBV, or encourage victims to report such situations, as the data are “worrying” due to the size and number of population on the island.