Reflections of violence

Gender violence reflects throughout the whole of society. In the United States—where, on average, a woman is beaten by her husband or partner every 15 seconds, according to the Amnesty International Report “It’s in our hands: Stop violence against women”, 2004—gender violence costs the country immensely: 5 to 10 billion dollars a year.

According to figures disclosed by the World Bank (IBRD) and by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), domestic violence is responsible for one in every five absences of women from work. It is also among the main causes of disability and death of women in their productive years.

Transforming for the better

Since 1986, the Legion of Good Will of the USA has been developing its humanitarian work in the States of New York, where it has a representative office to the United Nations, and New Jersey, through a community center in Newark. Its solidary actions are carried out by means of its socio-assistance programs, including projects that prioritize health care and in the area of education. The work has contributed to improving significantly the quality of life of low-income families and individuals.

The pedagogical proposal of the LBV, formed by the Pedagogy of Affection (for children up to the age 10) and the Ecumenical Citizen Pedagogy (for children 11 years and older) is widely spread in the country. It is applied in classrooms thanks to the teachers who use the Organization’s innovative educational line, created by educator Paiva Netto, which combines the transmission of universal values to intellectual development. Thus, students learn to be the protagonists of a social model in which respect and love towards fellow beings are the basis of human relations.