Pathways of Women's Empowerment is an international research and communications programme that was established in 2006 with DFID funding. Pathways links academics with activists and practitioners to find out what works to enhance women’s empowerment. During the last five years Pathways has been involved in more than fifty research projects in Latin America, the Middle East, South Asia and West Africa.
Cecilia is currently the convenor of the Pathways Latin American hub. She also works at NEIM, the Nucleus for Interdisciplinary Women’s Studies, which she co-founded in 1983, and teaches various graduate and undergraduate courses in gender and women’s studies. Cecilia is the national co-ordinator of Observe, a research consortium that monitors the implementation of legislation that criminalises domestic violence against women.
Cecilia is a strong advocate for the legalisation of abortion in Brazil. She says she is passionate about fighting for women to have autonomy over their own bodies and sexuality, and to use her research towards ending racism, homophobia, and all forms of discrimination, oppression and social and economic inequality.
Cecilia exudes a zest for life. She loves to dance to rock n roll music and traditional Carnival songs. She says “you never know what’s going to happen so it’s best to live moment to moment.”
Links to Cecilia Sardenberg’s work:
www.neim.ufba.br
www.observe.ufba.br
www.ppgneim.ffch.ufba.br