“It’s out”: a victim of gender-based violence used a bank ticket to denounce her husband

A 27-year-old Brazilian woman, who went to collect a social benefit from a bank of Soradinho, in the Federal District, She took advantage of this circumstance to denounce her violent husband. “Can you help me? Domestic violence He’s over there,” the desperate young woman wrote on a bank receipt she handed to the cashier.

Fortunately for this woman, due to protocol issues due to the coronavirus, her husband was unable to enter the bank branch with her. The absence of her abuser helped her to seek help without interference.

The client added the letter to her note on the bank paper X, which, after a campaign by the Secretariat for Women, in Brazil works like a code to communicate, in shops or public places, that a person is victim of gender-based violence and needs urgent help. Although it is not, the “X” is usually written in the palm of the hand and with a red colored element.

“After delivering her message, the woman got scared. I saw her with an expression of fear on her face, ”the bank employee, who did not want to identify himself, later told Brazilian media outlet G1.

The event happened last Monday, March 1, when the woman went to withdraw money from the assistance program Family bag. The cashier’s reaction to receiving the ticket was to hand the woman a blank page so that she could write her home address on it. She wrote down her contact details and clarified that she lived there with her abuser and her two children.

On the sheet he also added some directions for the police. “If there’s a knock on the door and it doesn’t open, insist, because it’s going to pretend it’s not there.” And he also wrote, “I’m not giving them the phone number because he can answer.”

After making your procedure and receive their money, the woman left the bank and the employee communicated what had happened to her colleagues. After unsuccessful attempts by bank employees to get the local police to do something for the woman who had asked for help – even the delegation of women’s attention ignored her request – he turned away. It turned out that one of the employees knew members of the military police and contacted them.

Thus, the day after the ticket was handed over with the request for assistance, the agents of the Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Group (provided) Brazilian military police arrived at the woman’s home, located in the city of Planaltina, for Save her.

There the troops found the woman, who was at home with her two children, a 19 month old boy and a 5 year old girl. The attacker was not at home at the time, but she was very afraid, according to the testimony of the sergeant of the Sérgio Borges Military Police.

The woman and her children have been transferred to a shelter to house victims of domestic violence and the man, as Brazilian media reports, has yet to be located.

“This case was very emblematic. Sometimes the first thing the abuser does is stop the woman from communicating. This victim, having the option to leave the house, decided to seek help and people got the message. This shows how much more society is paying attention to these cases of violence. This is so, ”said the Federal District Women’s Secretary, Ericka Filippelli with reference to this case.

THE NATION