Reaching its 11th edition, Women’s Day of the Public Defender’s Office of the Federal District (DPDF) ended this Monday (1st) with new features, such as partnerships with Instituição Aria and Faculdade Anhanguera.
Held every first Monday of the month, the event offers several free services for women, such as legal guidance, psychological assistance and free exams, oral evaluation and referral to health care. 2,832 women were served in this month’s edition. The next edition will be on May 6th, at the DPDF Center, in the North Commercial Sector.
Clerk Maria Viana, 45 years old, was unaware of the monthly event and was surprised to arrive at DPDF on a Monday and find so many services available. “I’ve been away from work for three years now, and I was deeply depressed and couldn’t work,” she says.
A former victim of domestic violence, Maria sought legal assistance services to talk about the case, even though the attacker is already in prison. “I already got a referral right here to maintain services where I live”, she highlights.
The worker looked for available services and stated that she did a little of everything. “I went for waxing, I also went to the psychologist, which I needed and at the moment I didn’t have one,” she added. For the clerk, the services are surprising. “So we can solve everything in one place. That’s helpful.”
Maria Helena da Silva Oliveira, 21 years old, was another person who didn’t know about the event’s services. “My idea was to come and resolve the CRAS documentation, but I no longer had a password”, she explains. The good thing was that Maria found other essential services that were available. “And I thought it was really good. You can come back here later and be able to do other things too, and next time arrive earlier”, she comments.
It is the second time that self-employed Michelle Gonzaga has attended Women’s Day. She found out about the project through a course she was taking at Qualifica DF. “I hope to have all my dental treatment here, because it’s always at the beginning of the month”, she points out.
She really liked the service provided by the woman’s truck from the Social Service of Commerce (Sesc). For Michelle, it is very important that this initiative exists, and she recommends that women attending the next editions arrive early. “It’s very good because it’s free, and the resources it provides for women.”
Available services
This action has been carried out since April 2023, and, as deputy general public defender Emmanuela Saboya explains, it is a day that women can take to solve all their problems, whether housing, health, legal, getting their child’s free DNA done. to put the father’s name on the certificate, dental treatment, the woman’s doctor, IUD placement, mammography, and other things. “Remembering that it’s not a voucher, it’s all done on the spot”, she adds.
The event is attended by institutions such as Fiocruz, with the availability of a free cervical cancer prevention test, and if detected, medical follow-up is carried out. Some of the services offered are: assistance from the Social Assistance Reference Center, the DF Housing Development Company, the integrated Women’s Service Center of the DF Civil Police, Court of Justice, Subsecretariat for Support for Victims of Violence (SUBAV ), Secretariat of Economic Development, Labor and Income and Secretariat for Women. “There are several partners who are here from eight to seventeen hours, always on the first Monday of each month, in a central location here on the commercial block”.
Another service offered at the event is the responsibility of the National Commercial Learning Service (SENAC) with the beauty cart, the dentistry cart, and training courses. Women’s Day has the support of the Federation of Commerce of Goods, Services and Tourism of DF (Fecomércio DF), with the offer of a thousand vacancies for minor apprenticeships or internships for those taking a technical or higher education course. At Nuclão da Defensoria, where the event takes place, a toy library is also available, where children can stay.
Still according to Emmanuela, this event needs to be increasingly publicized so that women can attend and resolve their doubts, especially with the growing wave of violence and feminicide in the Federal District. “Many women tell us that having this central point to deal with several issues at the same time, in a place far from where they live, sometimes helps, because sometimes a neighbor tells her husband that she was asking for guidance on domestic violence, and Then the husband, knowing this, is aggressive towards them”. Emmanuela says that she had a case, of a woman who came to the event to have a mammogram exam, and upon entering, she asked for help from the Casa da Mulher Brasileira. “So we managed to save that woman, he was here watching her steps”, she says.
The Public Defender’s Office also provides legal and psychosocial assistance services, addressing issues of depression and domestic violence, and answering questions about child custody, divorce, cohabitation, and other doubts. Emmanuela reinforces that the event at the DPDF Center is fixed, but there are trailers from the institution that go to other regions.
Every edition of the event, something new is introduced to offer all types of services to the female public. This time, Faculdade Anhanguera presents voluntary services to society with physiotherapeutic assessments, myofascial release and manual therapy, as explained by Daniela Sousa, professor at the faculty of physiotherapy. “We came to meet patients and direct them to what they can do, be it manual therapy, a relaxing massage, physiotherapy”, she says. And also, guide the women treated, if they have an injury or pathology, to the correct specialty. With this, we can bring a little something to these women, from this area that is difficult to access, to bring a little comfort in case of any pain, muscle tension”.
In addition to Faculdade Anhanguera, Instituto Aria also participated in the edition, with educational activities on self-care, such as sports, physical activity, food and music; in addition to oral assessment and referral for care at the Instituto Aria clinic. Rafaela Azevedo Silva, dental surgeon and collaborator at Instituto Aria, explains that in addition to this action being important for putting volunteer students in contact with the activities in which they work, it is also important to provide improvements in the population’s oral health. We are very supportive. “And we mainly support this initiative by the Public Defender’s Office to celebrate Women’s Day.”
Service
Women’s Day of the DF Public Defender’s Office
Date: every first Monday of the month
Next date: May 6th
Hours: 8am to 5pm
Address: Setor Comercial Norte, Quadra 1, Edifício Rossi Esplanada Business, Asa Norte
