Brena Lacerda is a Changemaker and Communications Analyst at Voltalia in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. For the SIMA SDG Challenge, Brena chose to screen the film At Home, In Bed, and in The Streets which follows an inspiring Nicaraguan women’s rights group, Puntos de Encuentro, as it works to end sexual violence at home, in beds, and in the street through a powerful blend of mainstream media and grassroots organizing.

Through the film, she encouraged the audience to connect with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Number 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

Why did you choose the SIMA Academy film At Home, In Bed, and in The Streets?

Because it’s a subject our council feels very close to, and we had the intention to partner with Coletivo Violetas, which is a women’s group that focuses on women related issues. 

How did the screening meet your objectives for the overall event?

Had we had more time to prepare, we would have had a more profound discussion, maybe brought some speakers who have been through the issues the film presents. But it was still great. We made the screening the center of the event, with a light debate afterwards. People seemed to like it and we’re already working on the next steps.

Can you tell us if and how this event changed the audience’s awareness of the subject matter?

People were really moved by the film and it opened some people’s eyes to issues that we don’t usually talk about.

What were the main topics of discussion at the event? 

We discussed about whether or not sexual abuse and sexual exploitation were an issue in our community, and tried to come up with a few suggestions on how to tackle the issue here. One girl asked for advice on how to approach the issues of sexuality with her baby brother in a family that never talks about that. Another woman was their with her teenage daughter and told us she never realized until then that sexual exploitation was a problem so close to us.

Please share a memorable moment during your event.

At some point, a woman who was there by an invitation of her teenage daughter got up and made a few points about not wanting to call herself a feminist. I could see most women in the audience (who were already part of the feminist movement) feel uncomfortable but the answer to that came from her own daughter. Yasmin is 17 and she explained to her mom in front of everyone what feminism is really about and why she should be proud to call herself a feminist. That was very moving and I was personally glad that Yasmin intervened, cause she was able to educate her mother with love and kindness, whereas I think some of the women there would probably have taken a different approach.