Two Rio Blocos Will Celebrate Women’s Rights

By Chesney Hearst, Senior Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – As part of a United Nations (UN) campaign, two Rio de Janeiro blocos, Carmelitas and Bloco das Mulheres Rodadas, will celebrate women’s rights on Tuesday, February 17th and Wednesday, February 18th respectively.

Named,“Neste carnaval, perca a vergonha, não perca o respeito” (In this carnival, lose the shame, do not lose respect), the initiative aims to help women revelers feel safe and respected during Carnival and to educate them about their rights if they do not.

During the blocos, the campaign will distribute flyers with questions that include if the respondent felt an approach or encounter was aggressive and is she felt safe during an approach or encounter. Those experiencing trouble are then advised to call 180, the hotline of the Secretaria Especial de Políticas para as Mulheres da Presidência da República (Special Secretariat for Women of the Presidency of the Republic).

The Carmelitas bloco will take place on Tuesday, February 17th at 8AM beginning at Ladeira de Santa Teresa and the Mulheres Rodadas will take place on the following day, Wednesday, February 18th, beginning at Largo do Machado at 6PM.

Additionally during Carnival, the UN Campaign placed signs on Rio busses. They also partnered with samba school Mangueira to present their enredo, “Agora chegou a vez vou cantar: Mulher da Mangueira, mulher brasileira em primeiro lugar” (The time has arrived that I will sing: Women of Mangueira, Brazilian woman in first place). Mangueira paraded as the sixth school on opening night of the Special Group competitions on Sunday, February 14th.