"Nós+Seguras" Program

The Nós + Seguras Program was created to prevent gender-based violence from the ground up through an integrated effort between the Rio de Janeiro State Secretariats for Women (SEM-RJ), Education (SEEDUC-RJ), and Health (SES-RJ), with Serenas as a technical partner. The initiative seeks to make schools safer and more welcoming spaces while advancing social transformation for girls and women by promoting, protecting, and upholding their rights.

In 2023, according to the Dossiê da Mulher 2024, approximately 76.8% of rape victims in the state of Rio de Janeiro were up to 14 years old. In addition, Brazil’s National School Health Survey (PeNSE) indicates that, in Rio de Janeiro, 23.3% of girls aged 11 to 17 reported that at some point in their lives, up to 2019, they had been touched, manipulated, kissed, or had parts of their bodies exposed against their will.

Drawing on its technical expertise, Serenas supports the design and implementation of training programs for professionals from the participating Secretariats, with actions that extend to the school level. The initiative aims to strengthen the capacities of educational leaders and technical teams to prevent gender-based violence through training and educational materials that guide case identification, appropriate referral pathways, and survivor-centered, non-revictimizing support, while integrating a gender lens into pedagogical planning.

With trainings and materials planned through 2027, the initiative seeks to ensure that students are informed and able to recognize situations of violence, know how and where to report them, and access protection networks within the school environment. At the same time, it promotes the development of healthy relationships, contributing to the disruption of intergenerational cycles of violence. In 2025, Serenas began delivering trainings for audiences from SEEDUC-RJ and SES-RJ, including Regional Pedagogical Directors, School Management Monitoring Officers, and Teaching Coordinators connected to the School Health Program (Programa Saúde na Escola).