We're thrilled to announce Shameless! Festival of Activism Against Sexual Violence will take place in its second year in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro on 24 September. Called Ecoar! Festival, the one day festival will be created and presented by Redes da Maré – organisers of the WOW Festival in Rio – in partnership with WOW and SHaME.

Inspired by the London festival, which took place in November at Battersea Arts Centre, Ecora! will be a space for education & health professionals, social assistance, researchers, artists, activists and the general public to spark conversations and address the global crisis of sexual violence.

The objective is to place sexual violence in the context of other structural violence, for anyone interested or involved in the topic. It will also be a space for building networks for professionals in education, health, social assistance, researchers, artists and activists, especially from Maré and the port region of the city of Rio de Janeiro.The aim is to support cross sector dialogue in order to better understand and tackle the challenges faced.

Eliana Sousa Silva, a curator of Ecoar! and Director of Redes da Maré said: "We want to contribute to overcoming the shame associated with talking about sexual violence, creating support networks; & give everyone the chance to say to societies: enough is enough, this must end.”

Jude Kelly, CEO & Founder of The WOW Foundation said: “When Joanna and I sat together to create a festival that allowed us to speak openly and without apology about the experience of sexual violence and societies attidudes to surviros, we hoped that Brazil would embrace the idea too. WOW – Festival Mulheres do Mundo brings a history of trust, inclusion and commitment which will make the event both powerful and positive. This will undoubtedly lead to genuine change and empower others to take action.”

Professor Joanna Bourke, Principal Investigator of Birkbeck’s SHaME Project commented: “Sexual abuse and violence affect each one of us. This festival seeks to provide safe spaces to share our experiences, explore creative ways of addressing the problem, and think about strategies for eradicating the scourge of abuse. Together, we can dismantle the rape culture and create more just and loving worlds.”

On the day of the event, activities will take place in five different spaces, with more than 12 hours of programming, as well as a children's area and Marketplace.

If you want to learn more about the Shameless! project, you can catch up with talks and panels from the London festival on our YouTube channel.