This work intended to study the place occupied by men in the context of violence against
women - more precisely on nowadays scene placed by Maria da Penha law. This law brings
several modifications concerning the strategies to “combat” violence against women. The
most commented one is the severity when punishing those considered “aggressors”. In order
to do that, learning the possible conceptions about men that circulate in this recent context,
two fundamental steps were taken. The first one consisted of making a list of all the services
provided in cases of violence against women at the city of Belém, Brazil. That was a moment
on which we noticed the lacking of any service concerning the men involved in violence
situation. Once Women's Police Station has presented itself as the most important reference
about the subject at Belém, we began the second part of this research, which was divided on
three methodological strategies: observation of its everyday life and interviews with its
employees and people that used to go there. The information obtained showed that although
Women's Police Station is a place that intends to give support to those that look for help, it
reveals itself a violent ambient, something exemplified either by its architecture and by the
kind of service provided there. Besides, it was possible to apprehend some suggestive
conceptions of those men (and women) usually presented there. The main point of our
discussion refers to a new naturalization of men that commit violence against woman: from a
violent “essence” to a violent socialization. Here, although the people interviewed consider
these men as products of a “sexist education”, they indicate prison as the adequate
punishments in those cases. On the other hand, once prison is recognized as incapable of
promoting “positive” changes, it is recommended to add some psychological treatment. It is
possible to realize that there is a “treatment” speech about these men that tries to “regenerate”
them and lately give them “back to society”. Nevertheless, we consider that this approach
only increases the intolerance against men that commit violence, once it stigmatizes them as
the part of society that must be cured, formatted and lately “given back”. In conclusion, more
than a “treatment” we propose the creation of a space of listening that can put in check the
certainties about the type of gender relations that produce and maintain situations of violence
against women.
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