Panmela Castro will be painting our graffiti wall at 2pm. The public is invited to come watch her work. There will be a reception afterwards for people to meet the artist.

In 2006, Brazil passed the nation-s first federal law that affirmed every woman-s right to live free of domestic violence. The passage of the Maria da Penha Law was a leap forward in a country with a long history of such violence. Many women, however, were uninformed about the legislation and lacked an understanding as to how to access its protections.

Panmela Castro, a survivor of domestic violence, recognized that the Maria da Penha Law would remain largely on paper unless she worked to raise awareness about its implications. In response, she ventured into the favelas of Rio de Janeiro and painted powerful murals that promoted awareness and educated women about their rights under the new legislation.

Panmela - also know as Anarkia - is one of the best known grafiteiras in Rio. A young multi-media artist, she harnesses the power of street art to promote social change and raise awareness about women-s rights. She has successfully created and implemented a number of programs to promote women-s empowerment through art and continues to expand her organizational infrastructure and the Brazilian network of grafiteras who are committed to promoting women-s rights.

In 2010, Panmela formed Rede Nami, an urban art network of female graffiti artists that addresses gender inequality through public art. Although urban art and graffiti are accepted forms of artistic expression in Brazil, the number of females able to profile themselves in a world dominated by male artists is very small. Through Rede Nami, women have the opportunity to organize themselves and grow their participation in Brazilian street culture.

From Panmela-s idea to create awareness about women-s rights through graffiti emerged the need for more trained female artists to spread messages about women-s empowerment. -Atelier for Artistic Orientation - Oficina Nami- was developed to train these individuals. Oficina Nami, owned and operated under Rede Nami, is a project developed to carry out capacity building workshops for young female artists in the state of Rio de Janeiro. In addition, the project offers capacity building trainings for all women, using artistic expression as a tool for raising awareness about women-s rights and promoting women-s self esteem.

The respect that Panmela-s work has garnered provides her a platform and voice in a world comprised largely of male artists. Honoring her tremendous efforts and work, Vital Voices presented Panmela with the Leadership in Public Life Award at the 2010 Global Leadership Awards Benefit.