Project “Defend Yourself: Transforming Pain into Knowledge and Strength”: An Interdisciplinary Intervention for the Legal, Emotional, and Physical Empowerment of Women in Situations of Violence

Abstract

Violence against women constitutes a multidimensional phenomenon with legal, psychological, and bodily repercussions that require integrated intervention approaches. This article aims to describe and analyze the project “Defend Yourself: transforming pain into knowledge and strength,” an interdisciplinary initiative providing care to women in situations of violence and/or vulnerability, structured through the articulation of legal assistance, emotional support, and bodily practices of self-defense and stretching. This is a descriptive experience study with a qualitative analysis of the intervention proposal and its theoretical foundations. It is observed that the integration of legal information, qualified listening, and bodily strengthening contributes to the expansion of autonomy, perceived self-efficacy, and participants’ capacity for self-protection. It is concluded that interdisciplinary interventions integrating body, subjectivity, and rights show significant potential in preventing revictimization and promoting women’s autonomy in contexts of gender-based violence.