Violência psicológica contra as mulheres: desafios e práticas de psicólogas no sistema judiciário

Abstract

In 2021, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Law No. 14,188/21, which criminalized psychological violence against women, was unexpectedly sanctioned without prior debate with the population or feminist movements. Thus, the objective of this thesis is to investigate the consequences of the criminalization of psychological violence against women in the judicial system and public policies, considering the political and social context surrounding the emergence of Law No. 14.188/21. Taking into account the singularities of women affected by violence, discourse analysis was used as a methodology from the perspective of contemporary feminist craftsmanship and the framework of feminist critical theories from intersectional perspectives covering the various social markers of difference that these women cross. Qualitative empirical research comprised the analysis of psychological violence suffered by women in the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro, based on some statements from the parties (women and men) during psychology consultations at the II Domestic and Family Violence Court against women (JVDFM) and the IV JVDFM of the Court of Justice of the State of Rio de Janeiro (TJ-RJ), along with semi-structured interviews with five psychologists from different technical teams of JVDFMs at TJ-RJ. When observing the statements of the parties (women and men) involved in the processes and in the interviews with the psychologists, it was found that many men take no responsibility for the violence committed against their partner or ex-partner and, moreover, disqualify them, labeling them as crazy and unbalanced. It was verified in the analysis of the interviews with the psychologists that the criminalization of psychological violence increased the perception of women and the operators of the law regarding this type of violence, but there were no changes in the perception of men. Many of them do not recognize their violent behaviors, when they do not leave marks on women’s bodies. It was noticed that the sanction of Law No. 14.188/21 was not accompanied by public policies to combat and prevent violence against women under the Bolsonaro government, which stood out for its increase in conservatism, sexism and misogyny. It was found that the social markers of race, class and occupation are preponderant in the punishment of men accused of domestic violence against women. The race marker is also essential in the psychologists’ analysis in relation to the greater vulnerability of black women to becoming victims of violence from their partners and ex-partners than white women. The psychologists also pointed out the relevance of other markers, such as class, financial dependence, emotional dependence and religious discourse in the analysis of domestic violence. The need for educational actions in educational institutions on the Maria da Penha Law and gender-based violence was recognized, as well as the improvement and expansion of service network for women in situations of violence.