Claudia Vasconcelos, Brazil

Photo by Melisa Dickie

"I never had a happy moment in my childhood. All of my memories are of violence. I grew up in an environment where my mother was beaten by my father. Growing up in that environment, I never understood why those things were happening, I cried, I was afraid. I assumed that things like that were happening not just in my home, but in everyone's home. Once I grew up, I realized that this wasn't the case—which made me even more upset, because I wondered why it had to happen to my mother.  Maybe, for me, growing up in an environment like that strengthened my sense of struggle today. I saw my mother getting beat up, and I can't feel the pain that she felt, but I felt pain too. And today I have a broader vision, because I understand the reality of a woman who is being abused but who can't do anything about it. I lived this at home. I know that lots of children like me are growing up in the same situation, and I want to change that."

About Claudia

Claudia Vasconcelos is a 16-year-old peer educator with Grupo Curumim, a feminist organization based in the city of Recife, in northeastern Brazil. Born and raised in Recife, Claudia first began working with Curumim at the age of 13, when she participated in the organization's Cunhatã project, an initiative for local adolescents designed to build self-esteem, provide vital information on sexual and reproductive health, and offer opportunities for young people to participate in the formation of local health policies. Today, Claudia works with young people in the Cunhatã project part-time, and is a full-time secondary school student. IWHC has supported Grupo Curumim since 1994, serving as the primary supporter of the Cunhatã project since its inception in 2001.

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