Voices of Resilience: Panmela Castro on Innovating and Adapting to End GBV
Voices of Resilience: A Conversation with Panmela Castro
September 2020 – Panmela Castro is a long-time Vital Voices woman leader, activist, and artist. As an activist, she is known for her use of a beautiful but unconventional medium: graffiti. Based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Panmela uses art to bring awareness and educate women about acts of gender-based violence and domestic violence.
As part of the Vital Voices Podcast Series, Panmela spoke with Vital Voices President and CEO, Alyse Nelson, about how her activism work, and her home country at large, have been impacted by Covid-19. In her words, Brazil was not equipped to handle the pandemic. It disproportionately impacts poor, Black people and exacerbated already existing violence against women.
Since the onset of Covid-19, Panmela has since revolutionized her activism work. Her work, which once flourished through intimate meetings with community members, now thrives through a variety of digital platforms. Panmela not only addresses worsening gender-based violence in the wake of Covid-19, but she now educates communities on public health practices to slow the effects of the virus.
When asked how women lead differently, Panmela emphasized women’s capacity for empathy. She shared that, above all, the willingness to share knowledge in the pursuit of unified growth is what makes women such impactful leaders. Panmela’s tenacity for helping others is shown through her innovative response to the pandemic. It is through her work that we see the uncompromising yet adaptable force of woman leaders.
Listen to her episode here:
This post was written by Annalysse Mason.