In Brazil, mothers whose sons have been killed by police are organizing to demand nationwide policies that support relatives of victims of state violence. These mothers, united by grief, are also seeking public funding to sustain their advocacy efforts.
Ana Paula Oliveira, whose 19-year-old son was killed by police in 2014, found solace and strength in a group of other grieving mothers. "Without any doubt, if I had been alone I wouldn’t have made it here," Oliveira said. The group attends judicial hearings, protests, and commemorative events, providing mutual psychological support. Their activism aims to ensure their sons are remembered beyond mere statistics.
Last year, 460 people died during police operations in Rio de Janeiro, marking the highest number since 2016 and a 52% increase from the previous year, according to the nonprofit Crossfire Institute. Similar to Argentina's Mothers of Plaza de Mayo, these Brazilian mothers draw attention to the pain caused by police killings and pursue judicial accountability.
In 2023, the group, supported by Raave, a network of organizations assisting families affected by police killings in Rio, met with Brazilian judiciary, legislative, and executive branches to present their proposed support policy. Raave is currently negotiating with the federal government for a pilot project based on the mothers' initiative to provide care and guarantee rights for victims' families, said Guilherme Pimental, a Raave coordinator.
Monica Cunha, whose 20-year-old son was killed by police in 2006, has channeled her grief into activism. She became a councilwoman and plans to run for state lawmaker in the upcoming October elections. "I fight for memory, truth, justice, reparations and guarantees of nonrepetition," Cunha stated on Instagram, emphasizing the need to confront the racism that contributes to police violence.
Brazilian police have killed over 6,000 people annually since 2018, according to the Brazilian Forum on Public Safety. The majority of victims are between 18 and 24 years old, and 82% of those killed by lethal police violence are Black.
Nadia dos Santos and her sister Glaucia dos Santos lost their sons and nephew to police violence. Nadia's sons Cleyton and Cleyverson were killed in 2015 and 2022 respectively, and Glaucia's son Fabricio died in 2014. The police officers involved in Fabricio's death were sentenced to nine years in prison in 2023, a decision that offered hope to the mothers.
Nadia dos Santos is advocating for a nationwide public policy on restitution, stating, "The state should have the obligation to give us mothers who lose our sons because of the state's violence reparations." Oliveira suggested reparations could include naming public facilities like schools and hospitals after victims or implementing public policies to prevent future violence.
The mothers' movement emerges as crime remains a significant issue in Brazil's political landscape, with some political figures advocating for strong police support in combating gangs, while these mothers highlight the issue of excessive force.