In order to summarize the rights and duties of women running for political office, the Diversity and Inclusion Program at Fundação Getulio Vargas’ Rio de Janeiro Law School has launched the second edition of its Women in Politics Booklet, providing updates on electoral legislation. The publication seeks to guide women who are interested in running for office, presenting all the information needed to assert their rights and compete effectively.

The booklet sets out essential information for female candidates, emphasizing their rights and duties, as well as precautions to be taken by them. It covers everything from the process of joining a party to accountability, while paying special attention to laws that govern the rights of women in politics, including rules stating that women must make up at least 30% of candidates and receive at least 30% of government election funds.

The new edition provides an explanation of gender-based political violence, clearly presenting the differences between political violence in general and gender-based political violence. The booklet lists examples of behaviors that constitute gender-based political violence and indicates legal means for women to make complaints and uphold their rights.

The booklet was revised and updated to produce this second edition as part of the Political Training for Women Project, conducted by the Diversity and Inclusion Program at the FGV Rio de Janeiro Law School, funded by the U.S. Consulate in Rio de Janeiro and supported by Rio de Janeiro State University’s Gender Inequalities and Relations Study Center and the More Women in Politics Rio de Janeiro State Forum. The material was updated by Ana Silva Rosa and Giovanna Monteiro and revised by Vitória Gonzalez, under the supervision of Professor Ligia Fabris and supported by Gabriela de Brito Caruso.

The first edition of the booklet was the result of the Systematizing Rights Field Project, proposed by the Diversity and Inclusion Program and carried out at the FGV Rio de Janeiro Law School. The content was produced by students Beatriz Oliveira Maia Coutinho, Fernanda Rangel de Figueiredo Costa, Giovanna Andrade de Campos Ribeiro, Isabela Ferreira Lemes de Oliveira, Jade Savelli Macedo, Julia Lie Sakashita de Freitaz, Maria Eduarda Fonseca de Oliveira and Victória Geoffroy Scardini. The project was conceived and revised by Professor Ligia Fabris and supervised, executed and revised by Gabriela de Brito Caruso.

“This booklet is the result of long-standing efforts to encourage women to participate in politics. It is an important publication because it provides women who want to run for office with tools to know their rights and duties, and also to make their candidacies viable and competitive. Through this manual, we aim to raise awareness and combat gender-based political violence, which especially and disproportionately affects black, trans and disabled women, who make up more than 70% of our female students,” says Professor Ligia Fabris, the coordinator of the Diversity and Inclusion Program at the FGV Rio de Janeiro Law School.

To see the full booklet, click here.