EDITORIAL

Gender and violence against women in the "Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio": progress and controversy

In recent months, the political and educational communities and the Brazilian society itself, in general, found themselves before a discussion that is, at least, unusual for the moment: gender issues and violence against women as a constant theme of the "Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio".

Why so much controversy concerning that? This is a subject that, in theory, should have been overcome and consolidated in our society, given the national guidelines highlighted at the National Policy of Integral Care to Women's Health. There, the issue of gender equality as a guiding principle for health actions for women and any Brazilian citizen is defined and explained. The issue of combating and preventing violence against women is also made explicit as one of its most significant developments through the National Policy on Combating Violence Against Women.

Furthermore, the question of gender goes way beyond the scope of women in our society and goes into the universe of other groups and minorities related to it, such as gays, homosexuals, lesbians, bisexuals, transgenders and transvestites. Equal rights will never be for everyone if they are not seen as equal by all the Brazilians, and also for those who reside here because of the immigration law, regardless of gender, race/skin color or religious belief.

Therefore, we understand the decision of including these topics in the "Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio" as a right one. It has brought the need for an opinion on the topic to the younger generation, who wants to get into university and academic life. At least, it sparked curiosity to make them search in academia, with thinkers and scientists.

What was observed, however, was the explicit and violent outcry of prejudices and resentments that have been systematically taken up, reinforced or encouraged by a portion of the population that, in different situations or positions, takes advantage of the fact to give vent to their retrograde ideas. In this group, for example, there are parliamentarians at all levels, religious leaders, members of organized civil society entities and ordinary citizens, some encouraged by others.

Social media were fast dissemination vehicles from the point of view of these groups. Computers, tablets and mobile phones were flooded with messages and posts boasting and defending prejudice and discrimination. At the same time, it was through these same social media that voices expressing strongly disapproval and rejection to these ideas and attitudes have arisen.

The scientific and academic communities, including nursing, must promote the debate, and perhaps participate in the mediation of this discussion, producing the kind of knowledge necessary to overcome social inequalities and guarantee the rights of citizens.

The scientific journals are the advocates of the academic community, so they have the role of spreading the knowledge that is produced there. Its editorial body has the responsibility of selecting and deciding, among all manuscripts received, those that meet the ethical, scientific and academic standards, as well as the reliability of the information for their publication.

We understand that this episode reinforces our responsibility and calls our attention to the minimum essential care in selecting the material to be published, in order to identify those that effectively contribute to overcoming inequality/iniquity, to the detriment of the spread of prejudice and discrimination. This is, without a shadow of doubt, the commitment of Revista Enfermagem UERJ.

Octavio Muniz da Costa Vargens
Scientific Editor