Intervenção grupal: violência contra a mulher e defesa pessoal

Abstract

Violence against women has multiple dimensions and must be understood in its complexity, shaped by subjectivities and rooted in diverse social realities. In this context, it is essential not only to offer support but also to contribute to the empowerment of women, enabling them to recognize, name, report, and respond to the violence they have experienced or witnessed. This research, of an interventional and exploratory nature, with a pre- and post-test design and a qualitative approach, proposed an intervention consisting of a psychoeducational focus group on violence against women and a Self-Defense Course for Women, in partnership with the South American Krav Maga Federation. The group promoted qualified listening, emotional support, and collective reflection; the course, in turn, aimed to foster bodily self-awareness, physical strengthening, and the autonomy to react to, report, or resist situations of violence. Based on Bardin's Content Analysis, the semi-structured interviews (conducted before and after the intervention) led to the identification of six central categories: increased critical awareness of violence; subjective and behavioral transformations; the redefinition of self-defense; reinterpretation of the Maria da Penha Law and public policies; the integrative role of the intervention; and the potential for collective and political impact. The results show that the intervention promoted not only the acquisition of technical knowledge but also significant changes in participants’ self-perception and worldview, strengthening their autonomy, self-confidence, and ability to cope with violence. Self-defense was understood as a strategy for bodily and symbolic empowerment, challenging discourses of female fragility. The collective experience within the group contributed to the construction of support networks, spaces for qualified listening, and critical exploration of the female condition. Although these transformations were individual, they point to concrete possibilities for collective mobilization and reinforce the importance of integrated public policies that articulate education, emotional support, and female leadership in the fight against violence toward women.