Sofia Neves

Present but Un-named: Feminist Liberation Psychology in Portugal

In this article, we intend to show the paradox of Portuguese feminist liberation psychology, a discipline that is present inside the practical domain of social interventions, but remains unnamed. We aim to reveal examples of the few practices of feminist liberation psychology that exist in Portugal in order to inscribe them into the academic field. This article emphasizes some experiences from one grassroots movement that could be considered feminist psychology and liberation-psychology practices. Using a historical background, we focus on Portuguese social-political aspects including the feminist movement. Then, through a case study, we explore the grassroots movement Graal, whose projects were very influenced by the writings of Paulo Freire, on pedagogy of liberation. The concern with liberating oppressed groups is visible through the work of the Graal and shows the importance of collective action through conscientization.

Web Accessibility in Africa: A Study of Three African Domains

Being the most used method for dissemination of information, especially for public services, it is of paramount importance that the Web is made accessible as to allow all its users to access the content of its pages.

Gender Violence in Portugal: Discourses, Knowledge and Practices

This article discusses the emergence of feminism in Portugal with special emphasis on the actions taken in confronting gender violence. Starting with the history of feminist movements and its implications for the development of the country, it maps public policies, legal measures and victim support institutions/services to better understand the phenomena of violence against women and to identify strategies, adopted in the last decades, to confront it. Presenting a synthesis of some Portuguese studies on women and violence, this article mirrors the increasing interest in the study of violence against women in the academic context and especially in the context of gender studies.

Heterosexual Dating Violence and Social Gender Relations: Voices of Young Portuguese Girls

This chapter aims to characterize dating violence and social gender relations through voices of young Portuguese girls. Considering that heterosexual dating violence is a widespread phenomenon in Portugal and Portuguese girls are generally described as both victims and offenders, a critical approach was developed to discuss how gender (re)constructs and (re)defines social practices and narratives about juvenile intimate partner violence. Using a focus-group method, we questioned 107 young Portuguese girls, aged between 11 and 17 years old (M = 13.38), about youth social relationships and intimate partner relationships among young people. Thirteen focus groups were conducted. The data was examined through thematic analysis. The results confirm that dating violence is present in teens’ lives, and is suffered and perpetrated by both girls and boys. Gender specificities are addressed concerning practices, attitudes and motives, with girls admitting to using violence towards boys as a right achieved by gender equality.

“To Kill or to Be Killed”: Narratives of Female Victims of Intimate Partner Violence, Condemned for the Murder of Their Partners

Marital homicide committed by women occurs mainly in contexts of intimate gender violence, when they kill in order to survive attacks by their aggressors. This article presents a qualitative study carried out through the thematic content analysis of semi-structured interviews and the documentary analysis of the individual prison sentences of six Portuguese female prisoners convicted for the murder of their partners or former partners. The study explores the possible relationship between the practice of the crime and the exposure to a prior history of intimate gender violence, as well as problematizing their defence before the criminal justice system. Data obtained allowed us to recognize that all the women under study were victims of gender violence by their partners who they ultimately killed; that the initial period of separation of a couple constitutes an identical risk factor both for the practice of femicide and for the murder of offenders at the hands of their victims; and that there are inequities in the Portuguese criminal justice system regarding the conviction of these female prisoners that doubly punishes them in a penal system adapted to males, for having failed not only as citizens but as women.

Maternal health services: an equal or framed territory?

Purpose n n n n nDespite the high prevalence of immigrant women at the national level, studies on migration have been indifferent to the gender perspective. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the engagement of Ukrainian immigrant women, one of the most expressive nationalities of female immigration in Portugal, on maternal and child healthcare services, exploring their perceptions and experiences in these contexts. n n n n nDesign/methodology/approach n n n n nOn the basis of critical and social constructionism assumptions, this research focusses on discourse. Assuming that immigrant women have access to different resources, as well as different competences to interpret and intervene within the context they are in (Topa et al., 2010; UNFPA, 2006), the best method to deeply understand their experiences was to analyse how discourse is organized and how it creates and produces meanings that become practices (Nogueira, 2001a). The present study adopted a qualitative methodology for collecting (semi-structured interviews) and analysing the data (thematic analysis) and was based on discourses of ten Ukrainian women, living in the metropolitan area of Oporto, who were pregnant or were mothers in Portugal. n n n n nFindings n n n n nUkrainian women were misinformed about their legal rights and free access to maternal health services. Some dissatisfaction emerges among them with regard to the quality of information provided by health professionals and their communication skills. Their opinion is that they are given limited access to medical specialties, especially in primary care and that their doubts are inappropriately clarified during medical appointments. n n n n nOriginality/value n n n n nThis research also argues that cultural and intersectional considerations are fundamental to promote inclusive health policies for immigrants.

Reflexões sobre a implementação de um programa de intervenção psicoeducativa com mulheres ciganas portuguesas

O presente texto visa apresentar e descrever um programa de intervencao psicoeducativa dirigido a mulheres ciganas portuguesas, discutindo os seus resultados e as suas implicacoes do ponto de vista da analise das relacoes sociais de genero no âmbito das comunidades ciganas. O programa de intervencao psicoeducativa que aqui se expoe, cujo objetivo central foi empoderar as participantes no sentido do desenvolvimento das suas competencias e da promocao da sua participacao comunitaria, foi implementado, entre os meses de setembro e dezembro de 2015, junto de tres grupos, abrangendo um total de 36 mulheres ciganas, residentes na zona norte do pais. Os resultados da eficacia do programa, obtidos com recurso a uma metodologia qualitativa de pre e pos-teste, revelam a aquisicao de conhecimentos e de competencias no que respeita as questoes da saude, da educacao e da igualdade de genero.