About CEPIA

Since its founding in 1990, CEPIA has been developing projects that promote gender equality, and human and women’s rights, especially among disenfranchised communities and youth. CEPIA conducts its national and regional outreach efforts in Portuguese, English, and Spanish. Current CEPIA initiatives are addressing youth empowerment, health and reproductive rights, ending gender-based violence, and ensuring equal access to legal justice.

Since CEPIA joined the WLP Partnership in 2014,it has served in a central advisory role, providing guidance on WLP programs and advocacy campaigns. CEPIA has conducted dozens of local and regional workshops using WLP’s methodology and curricula. CEPIA works primarily in Portuguese.

• Launched a national reproductive justice campaign in 2024 highlighting the continued impact of Brazil’s 1940 abortion laws and advocating for legal reform grounded in public health and human dignity. 
• Organized the #MulheresPeloClima campaign for International Women’s Day 2024, strengthening connections between feminist and environmental justice movements. 
• Contributed to advocacy efforts supporting amendments to Law 1604/22, expanding emergency protective measures for women experiencing violence and recognizing psychological violence as a crime. 
• Served as amicus curiae before the Federal Supreme Court in cases challenging municipal laws restricting discussion of gender and sexual orientation in schools. 
• Convened the 2022 Latin America Regional Partners Convening on women’s political participation and political violence, bringing together feminist leaders from across the region. 
• Facilitated leadership and democratic participation trainings for women from Brazil, Mozambique, and Angola. 
• Led advocacy efforts contributing to the adoption of municipal legislation addressing sexual violence against children and adolescents. 
• Produced publications, podcasts, and digital resources focused on democracy, women’s political participation, reproductive justice, and digital security.

Organizational Programs and Activities

Human Rights Dialogue

• CEPIA conducts in-depth studies and develops educational and social intervention projects for diverse social, governmental, and non-governmental sectors. CEPIA disseminates information about international/national mechanisms that monitor and report on human rights; and sensitizes the public and the government on the need for implementing social policies that empower women in their struggle against discrimination and gender violence.
• CEPIA organizes seminars, social media live events, meetings and conferences, and dialogues with feminists, members of the judiciary, lawyers, legislators, medical doctors, health professionals, labor unions, NGOs, opinion makers, and civil servants responsible for public policies, to broaden the debate on issues relating to its agenda.

Advocacy, Monitoring, and Evaluation of Public Policies

• CEPIA monitors Brazil’s implementation of its constitutional commitments and international obligations to human rights and women’s rights. It conducts research and assesses public policies to uphold women’s movement demands and to propose changes toward greater gender equality and adherence to universal human rights.
• CEPIA joins national advocacy campaigns for sexual and reproductive rights and health; is a member of the Maternal Mortality Committee; develops training activities for various audiences; develops research and gives guidance on reproductive justice to the Federal Supreme Court.
• CEPIA’s Director is a member of the Committee of Experts on the follow-up mechanism of the Convention to Prevent, Punish, and Eradicate Violence Against Women (Convention of Belém do Pará).
• CEPIA is part of the National Social Watch to monitor the implementation of Maria da Penha Law.
• CEPIA published Violence Against Women: A Guide to Defend, Orientate and Support Victims of VAW. This publication, in its 9th edition, is an important tool to disseminate information on existing services to support women victims of violence and to construct and reinforce a network among them.

Digital Technology

• CEPIA has a strong presence on social media and reaches a large audience through campaigns related to political participation, gender-based violence, and youth pregnancy. CEPIA has a large collection of digital publications, videos, webinars, and tutorials.

Training and Education

• CEPIA co-coordinates the annual graduate course “Approaches to Human Rights in Health” offered by the Institute for Collective Health Studies (IESC) at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ).
• CEPIA is a co-organizer of the course “Gender and Law” at the School of Magistrates of the State of Rio de Janeiro (EMERJ).
• CEPIA conducts workshops with public high school students and teachers on topics relating to citizenship, youth and adolescents’ rights, gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health, life skills, and health services. CEPIA’s training curriculum for adolescents and youth includes publications on puberty, leadership, life skills, and digital citizenship.
• Applying a gender and intersectional approach, CEPIA promotes dialogue between Brazilian, Angolan, and Mozambican women through its trainings on leadership, communication strategy, and gender-based violence.
• CEPIA works with young people to produce YouTube videos and campaigns on topics of interest to them, including gender power relations, sexual violence, youth pregnancy, reproductive health, toxic masculinity, digital security, and the Zika virus.