Maria da Penha Maia Fernandes is a pharmacist and activist from Ceará, whose name is associated with Law No. 11,340, which prevents domestic and family violence against women.(Photo: courtesy of)
The University Council (Consu) of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF) approved the awarding of the title of Doctor.Honoris Causa awarded to Maria da Penha Maia Fernandes, a pharmacist and activist from Ceará, who is the namesake ofLaw No. 11,340, a prevenção da violência doméstica e familiar contra a mulher. A sugestão foi apresentada pela Faculdade de Farmácia e relatada pela conselheira Viviane Pereira na reunião ordinária de setembro, que ocorreu na sexta-feira, 11.
Born in Fortaleza (CE), on February 1, 1945, Maria da Penha holds a degree in Pharmacy and Biochemistry from the Federal University of Ceará (UFC) and a master's degree in Parasitology from the University of São Paulo (USP). In her youth, she dedicated herself to public health, caring for others, and conducting science with precision, method, and ethical commitment.
Facing the brutality of two attempted murders, perpetrated by her ex-husband in 1983, which left her with deep and irreversible physical scars, the pharmacist applied the tenacity of science to her own pursuit of justice, transforming her pain into a collective cause. For more than two decades of inaction by the Brazilian judiciary, Maria da Penha's struggle transcended borders, became an international issue, and culminated in 2006 with the approval of Law No. 11,340, which bears her name.
According to the rapporteur, granting this honorary doctorate title to Maria da Penha publicly recognizes the efforts of a woman whose trajectory is intertwined with the very history of human rights in Brazil. It means recognizing the trajectory that has contributed to thousands of other women being able to name violence, seek help, demand protection, and demand a response from the State. "It also means affirming that the university is not indifferent to the pain and inequalities present in the society in which it is embedded. On the contrary: a public university should know how to recognize those who have contributed decisively to expanding the horizons of citizenship and democracy in the country."
"The University has a duty to confront gender violence. Classrooms and research centers must be extensions of the courage that began with Maria da Penha's solitary search. Education has an ethical and political duty to assist in the deconstruction of structural machismo that attacks and kills, transforming indignation into concrete actions of care, teaching, research, and outreach," says the Vice-Dean of Student Assistance.
Inclusion of new activities in resolution
In addition to Maria da Penha's recommendation, the ordinary meeting of September deliberated on the proposal to include new activities in Axis 6.3 of the Resolution Consu nº 224/2025, which regulates the Individual Work Plan (PIT) and the Individual Work Report (RIT) of UFJF faculty members. Originating from the Faculty of Education (Faced), the proposal requests the inclusion of the following functions: Internship Coordination, Coordination of Pedagogical Disciplines for Teaching Degrees, and Academic Coordination.
The request was approved by rapporteur Angélica Coelho, who analyzed the academic-administrative nature of the three functions and indicated that this nature is compatible with the institutional management activities covered by Axis 6.3. Regarding the workload to be assigned to these functions, the council members present defined a maximum of 12 hours per week for each. This means that employees in these positions can teach classes with a workload of less than 12 hours per week, but not more.
PIT/RIT
Still regarding the Individual Work Plan and the Individual Work Report (PIT/RIT) of UFJF faculty members, the Center for Organizational Knowledge Management (CGCO), affiliated with the Office of Data and Evaluation (Prosdav), presented the prototype of the system that will manage the teachers' reports. The pilot project will be available for testing for two weeks in the coming days. After the experimental phase and any necessary improvements, the system is expected to be ready by the end of October and implemented in early November.
Mission to China
Another item on the agenda of the ordinary meeting of the Council was the authorization for the international travel of the rector of UFJF, Professor Girlene Alves, from November 8 to 22, 2026. Girlene will travel to the People's Republic of China to represent the institution in the mission of the National Association of Directors of Federal Higher Education Institutions (Andifes). The objective of the mission is to strengthen and intensify academic, scientific, and technological cooperation between Brazilian and Chinese universities.
Innovation Committee
The rector informed the plenary of the need to appoint a new representative of the Superior Council, among the humanities faculty (Humanities, Applied Social Sciences, Languages and Arts), to compose the Innovation Committee, replacing Professor Cláudio Roberto Fóffano Vasconcelos. The name of the director of the Faculty of Letters, Professor Nícea Helena de Almeida Nogueira, was approved to join the committee.
Internal Health and Safety Committee
The Council also deliberated on the resolution that establishes and regulates the Internal Health and Safety Committee of the Public Servant (Cissp). Considering the importance and legality of the subject; the need for UFJF to comply with federal regulations; and the considerations made by rapporteur Ivana Moutinho, the creation of the committee was approved.