President: Violence against women blights Brazil

Sexism and violence against women bring "shame" to the Brazilian society, President Dilma Rousseff said Monday. Marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on Nov. 25, Rousseff, Brazil's first female president, said via Twitter that the Brazilian society continues to be "sexist and full of prejudice." Ending violence against women is necessary for creating a fairer, more equal society, she said. The president highlighted some of her administration's measures to help battered women. A major program is to create a network of women's shelters, called Women's Houses, which provide several necessary services in a single place, such as police specialized in domestic violence, a public defender's office, psychological support, job placement and others, so victims don't have to go to all the different authorities. Rousseff also stressed the importance of Brazil's so-called Maria da Penha Law, a comprehensive domestic violence law named after a victim whose case has become widely known. Nov. 25 is valued in many countries and was established by the United Nations in honor of the Mirabal sisters, three political activists in the Dominican Republic who were murdered in 1960.