This book is the first publication that comprehensively addresses the Mulheres da Paz Project,
implemented throughout Brazil by the federal government, and examines the execution of the program in two different territories in Rio de Janeiro: one dominated by criminal drug trafficking organizations and the other by the presence of militias.

Through rich ethnographic study and interviews, Estivalet shows how women living in the urban peripheries of Rio de Janeiro organized to imagine and create better lives for themselves and their communities in ways far beyond the expectations of the program's founders. Bringing their strengths to the surface and taking advantage of the networks established through participation in the project, the women studied in this book occupied public space and representative positions in institutional politics, such as women's rights councils and women's groups in political parties. They developed activities to generate collective income, train and educate themselves and other citizens and young people, and promoted improvements in the living conditions of their communities.

Gender, Violence and Public Policies: When Women Act for Peace highlights the transformative impact of women's participation in urban social policy for the achievement of women's rights and human rights.