The Bill 2462/26 establishes the National Policy for the Protection, Promotion, and Guarantee of Rights of Riverside Women. The proposal, currently under analysis in the Chamber of Deputies, aims to ensure social inclusion, territorial justice, and sustainable development of Brazilian riverside communities.
The text defines a riverside woman as one who lives in rural or hard-to-access areas along rivers, lakes, streams, and floodplains, with her livelihood, culture, and social organization linked to the aquatic and forest environment.
“Riverside women constitute a social group of enormous relevance for the organization of their communities,” says the project's author, Deputy Dilvanda Faro (PT-PA). “They are food producers, guardians of traditional knowledge about the management of aquatic and forest ecosystems, responsible for family and community care, and protagonists in the preservation of biodiversity,” she adds.
Actions
The proposal establishes guidelines for public authorities' actions in various social and economic areas.
In health, the text provides for the care of riverside women through:
- units adapted to the conditions of the territory;
- basic care teams;
- mental health actions; and
- guarantee of sexual and reproductive rights.
In education, it determines access to basic and vocational education, including modalities suitable for local realities, such as the alternation pedagogy, as well as literacy programs for youth and adults.
For economic autonomy, the proposal establishes:
- access to adapted rural credit;
- technical assistance;
- support for organization in cooperatives and marketing networks; and
- recognition of unpaid care work.
The text also covers the right to adequate housing, with housing projects adapted to local realities, basic sanitation, potable water supply, and the inclusion of riverside communities in environmental conservation and climate change adaptation actions.
Territorial management
The project guarantees the protection of riverside women against all forms of violence, including those arising from land conflicts and the use of natural resources.
Furthermore, it ensures women's participation in territorial management, in land regularization processes, and in community councils and associations.
Coordination
The coordination of the national policy will be the responsibility of the federal agency responsible for regional development, in coordination with ministries in areas such as health, education, environment, agriculture, and women's protection.
The project provides for the creation of the Intersectoral Monitoring Committee, composed equally of governmental and civil society representatives. The group will be responsible for developing the National Plan for the Rights of Women and Riverside Communities, defining indicators, and publishing annual evaluation reports of the actions.
Gap
Dilvanda Faro emphasizes that the proposal will fill a gap resulting from the fragmentation of existing governmental actions.
“By establishing a structured national policy, the measure will contribute to riverside women fully exercising their citizenship and their protagonism in the preservation of ecosystems and in the sustainable development of their territories,” she concludes.
Processing
The project will be analyzed, in conclusive character, by the committees of the Amazon and Indigenous and Traditional Peoples; of Defense of Women's Rights; of Finance and Taxation; and of Constitution, Justice, and Citizenship.
To become law, it needs to be approved by the Chamber and the Senate.
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