FROM PAIN TO DIGNITY: A CRITICAL READING OF THE STORIES LIFE OF WOMEN WHO OVERCOME DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Abstract

Domestic violence against women is a worldwide phenomenon, which is not restricted to a certain social class, race, age, regardless of religion or education. Aggressions are divided into different types, such as psychological, sexual, moral and property, however, in violent relationships, they occur in overlapping ways. This research aims to investigate the life stories of women who experienced domestic violence and managed to break the cycle, investigating their perceptions, what contributed to their remaining in a violent relationship and what was the stagnant moment and the network of protection necessary for the rupture to be possible. Thus, based on these women's perceptions, we seek to bring a critical reading of this social reality. Methodologically, the research, with a qualitative approach, using the procedure of studying life stories, carried out at CREAS – Specialized Reference Center for Social Assistance in Panambi/RS, with three women, who managed to break the cycle of domestic violence and were referred for psychological care. Individual interviews were carried out, using a semi-structured questionnaire script, with permission to be recorded and transcribed in full. The themes investigated in the interviews dealt with the family of origin, their current family (partner and children), the beginning of the violence, the types of violence suffered, the primary and secondary protection network, the moment of rupture and the expectations and plans for the future. From the analysis of the results, it was possible to verify that the first episodes of violence occurred at the beginning of the relationship (during dating) and, as time went by, the attacks intensified, which led to low self-esteem and self-confidence, causing that they felt helpless and with each episode of violence came reconciliation, in which the woman began to believe again in the possible change in her partner's behavior, which made them remain in the relationship. We can conclude that the fight against domestic violence goes through the socio-historical-cultural change of patriarchy cultivated over the decades, and this transformation is only possible through the articulation of the theme in education, minimizing the reality of domestic violence and working from an early age male and female roles in the classroom, in order to provide an opportunity to deconstruct stereotypes about the roles of “being a man and being a woman”.