Organization of information on assistance for women in situations of violence: government information initiatives in the state of Bahia, Brazil

Abstract

This article analyzes the organization of information in the context of government actions to assist women in situations of violence in the state of Bahia, Brazil. An exploratory study with a qualitative approach identifies and categorizes the main mediating devices in the interactions of the Women's Assistance Network, linked to the Secretary of Public Policies for Women. The research maps 83 actors distributed across 37 cities and classifies their competencies into four areas: legal, security, health, and social assistance. Information actions were organized into three areas—mediation, formation, and relations—based on the theoretical framework of information regimes developed by philosopher Maria Nélida González de Gómez. The study also proposes a hypertextual structure that connects the information practices of the actors in this Network, based on references from the field of Knowledge Organization and Feminist Epistemology. The results show that the way information is produced, categorized, and shared directly influences access to and quality of services, as well as the effectiveness in addressing gender-based violence. The organization of information, in multiple sociocultural forms and modes of meaning production, establishes a relational domain by representing the information regime in the governmental sphere on women's rights, assuming a strategic role in the articulation of public policies for the promotion of rights and the prevention of the revictimization of women.