Aparecida Gonçalves, known as Cida Gonçalves, has been a specialist in gender-based violence and a women’s rights activist for more than 40 years.
Born in Clementina, in the state of São Paulo, Cida Gonçalves advanced her political career in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, where she coordinated the women’s movement in the 1980s and 1990s.
As representative of this group, she coordinated the process of founding the Centre of Social Movements in Brazil.
In the early 2000s, she was an adviser to the Women’s Coordinator of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Citizenship and State Labour during one of the administrations of Governor Zeca of the Workers' Party.
In the governments of President Lula and President Dilma Rousseff, between 2003 and 2016, she acted as National Secretary for Combating Violence against Women, working on the creation of the Maria da Penha Law and the Femicide Law.
She was one of the protagonists in the drafting of the National Act to Combat Violence against Women and the 'Women Living Without Violence' Programme, whose flagship initiative is the Brazilian Women’s House.
She has also served as a consultant on public policies on gender and combating violence against women.
Cida Gonçalves was part of the transition team of the new Lula government, which carried out the analysis and diagnosis of policies aimed at women. She returns to the government, now as minister, representing all women of Brazil.