Religion and silencing of suffering: reflections on the death and life of women in situations of violence

Data related to the death and illness of women in Brazil and in the world directly related to gender-based violence attest that there is an immense contingent of women who, due to this violence, have their lives cut short. Many never reported this experience of pain or, when so, they have been "advised" to keep it a secret. Gender-based violence imposes on women silence about their pain. Their sufferings are kept a secret and are kept in the house, and religion plays an important role in this, generating the demobilization of indignation against the production of suffering against women. This article aims to address the silencing of women in situations of violence as a mechanism to hinder social commitment to their lives, and uses the specific case of the ten-year-old girl who was raped and gotten pregnant by her uncle in Espirito Santo to guide this discussion.