Conflicts and negotiations: an ethnography in the Specialized Police Station for Women

Abstract

The Women Police Stations (Deam) comprise the intersectoral network of services for violence victims. This study aimed to approximate to the reality of a Deam, with women suffering violence and police officers who worked at the unit. Its method is qualitative, consisting of an ethnographic research in a police station in the countryside of São Paulo. The contact between users and police officers showed the women opposed violence, even if, at times, their relationships were antagonistic or troubled. In the different languages between the indispensabilities of victims and officers, while the officers conformed the reports to the law and justice provisions, the users sought integral care regarding public security and health. On the one hand, violence was relational, involved the languages of the kinship and mixed with the daily life; on the other hand, it was a record, a right, an action to be taken. The ethnographic experience showed the limits of a Deam, delineated its difficulties in meeting demands and revealed the anguishes of each voice, but it emerged as a locus for resolution of conflicts and negotiations as well, not being limited to interpreting crimes. Thus, Deam proved to be a place where women talked about themselves and their expectations.