What are you like off screen?
When
I’m not working in my job as a communicator, I’m doing voluntary work, either
through my mission as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population
Fund, or as president and founder of the non-profit organisation and NGDO Corações
Com Coroa (Hearts with Crowns). I also accept many of the invitations I get to
give talks in schools on the subjects of human rights and gender equality. My
priority when it comes to filling my days is, of course, making time for my
teenagers (as long as they agree to it!). I also take care of my mental and
physical wellbeing, regularly attending Pilates classes, walks, cultural
programmes and getaways with girlfriends.
You’re a woman of causes.What drives you?
Being
able to contribute every day, through my profession and my status as a
privileged member of society, in an attempt to improve the living conditions of
those in situations of social vulnerability. It’s a life purpose. I only feel
complete and balanced if my footprint has a positive impact on the lives of
other people, especially girls and women, who suffer the most from
discrimination, unequal opportunities and choices and gender-based violence
around the world and in Portugal. The fact that I have been a UNFPA ambassador
for 24 years, president of the CCC for 11 years and a documentary maker for the
Príncipes do Nada programmes on RTP for 18 years has given me tangible
information about the reality of human rights violations and the clear notion
that my unpaid work is a life mission. My life, even as a public figure, has a
meaning that goes far beyond my own navel.
You have been raising public awareness about human rights.What have you achieved and what
is still left to do?
With
the right people by my side (and it has to be said that there are many more
people that I have met who make a real difference and who promote active,
horizontal solidarity than those who only think of themselves), I have managed
to achieve small, great victories through projects that put people and their
rights at the centre of all decision-making. For example, by working for UNFPA
and CCC in Guinea-Bissau, in different regions of the country, we have managed
to reduce the number of maternal deaths, set up services in the field of sexual
and reproductive health, family planning and mother and child health, and
eradicated the practice of female genital mutilation. Thanks to initiatives of CCC,
we have already made the dreams of 35 young women going to university come true
with scholarships and bio-psycho-social support. We have also rebuilt the lives
of more than 800 women. We have already reached more than 10,000 school children
with the CCC Que Vai à Escola (that goes to school) project, which
combats violence in dating situations and bullying, as well as menstrual
poverty.
You are a UNFPA
Goodwill Ambassador. After two decades, how do you view the institution’s role
in the world?
Always with
enormous responsibility. It is an honour to be able to amplify the voices of
thousands of people (especially girls and women) who rely on my small amount of
power to create synergies, to lobby political leaders, parliamentarians, NGOs,
the private sector and civil society in general, in order to mitigate the
immense inequalities they suffer every day.
«I am also
concerned about the present and the future of young people»
You are also the
founder and president of the association Corações Com Coroa (Hearts with
Crowns).Has helping your fellow human beings always been
one of your goals in life?
Our work is
visible and transparent, and proven through first-person testimonies. I believe
that if the practice of social and corporate responsibility by companies plays
an increasingly decisive role, as a choice for the DNA of the company itself,
support for our projects will continue or increase (as will the number of
members) and so, despite the immense difficulties associated with running an
association whose profits are «only» the autonomy of the beneficiaries, I
believe that we will be able to reach out even further to those who need it
most.
CCC is a social
enterprise and, in that sense, it has a team of paid staff who work every day
to do their best and whose jobs must be guaranteed. We have six members of
staff at the CCC headquarters and four at the CCC Café.
From a financial
point of view, it is very demanding, but it is also very rewarding when we see
lives being radically changed for the better by informing, supporting and
empowering.
As you have a
deeper understanding of our country’s reality, do you think there’s still a lot
to be done? Is Portugal still a poor country, from an economic
point of view, in terms of mentality, in other words, do people still lack
awareness of the disparities in our country and, at the same time, awareness of
the realities in other countries?
There is
obviously a lot to be done and I can single out the issues that concern me the
most: gender inequality, which promotes violence (last year alone, 20 women
were killed by domestic violence in Portugal); the pay gap, with women earning
16% less in the same professions; unequal access to positions of leadership and
political participation; the volume of so-called informal work, as carers,
which takes time from investing in themselves; and still a lot of
discrimination when it comes to reconciling motherhood.
According to the
UN, it will take 286 years in the world (including Portugal, of course) to
eliminate laws that discriminate against women and girls. Women’s rights are in
jeopardy. There are signs and evidence of regression, which is why we need to
increase vigilance and collective action to defend fairer societies in which
people and their human rights are at the centre of political action.
I am also
concerned about the present and the future of young people. I feel that the
education system in schools is outdated and I feel that it is a matter of
urgency to empower young people with their rights in order to encourage them to
exercise a more active and solidarity-focused citizenship. I think we should
promote empathy literacy, the teaching of affection, in order to increase
emotional intelligence as well as knowledge and critical thinking.
What would be
the ideal society for you?
More empathetic.
I am convinced that my emotional balance comes from giving myself to the
«other», from practising solidarity.
Do you think that,
if we wanted to, we could all find the time to be a little better to our fellow
human beings?
I believe you
can always find a little time for what’s good for you. But I also know that
there are extremely difficult lives (and women who go out of their way,
forgetting about themselves). People who know they are privileged have, in my
opinion, an obligation to give more to society and, in this way, they will
discover the true magic of living a shared humanity.
Tell us, do you
absorb a lot of the experience and wisdom from older people?We know that you are able to see an elderly person and «waste» time
just talking to them, not ignoring them.Do you feel that, nowadays,
younger people don’t pay enough attention to older people?
I can’t and I
don’t want to generalise. I feel that social networks, which are the new
reality, take away some of the availability to spend time with people in
person, but I don’t feel that a lack of attention towards older people is a
characteristic of the new generation.
«My life, even
as a public figure, has a meaning that goes far beyond my navel»
