On her 132nd anniversary, we remember Brazilian naturalist and politician Berta Lutz, whose legacy includes the inclusion of equal rights in the UN Charter.
On August 2, we mark 132 years since the birth of Berta Lutz, one of the most influential figures in feminism in Brazil and all of Ibero-America. A zoologist, politician, and diplomat, her name is linked to the fight for women's suffrage and a diplomatic milestone that marked history: the inclusion of equal rights between men and women in the founding Charter of the United Nations.
Born in São Paulo in 1894, Lutz studied Natural Sciences at the Sorbonne in Paris. Upon her return to Brazil, she led the suffragist movement through the Brazilian Federation for Women's Progress, an organization that promoted the achievement of women's voting rights in 1932. Shortly thereafter, she became a federal deputy in the Brazilian Congress.
Her role transcended borders in 1945 when she participated as Brazil's delegate at the United Nations Conference held in San Francisco. There, she fought a decisive diplomatic battle to ensure that the UN's founding Charter explicitly included the principle of equal rights between men and women. Her work continued with the signing of the Treaty of Diplomatic Asylum of the Caracas Convention in 1954.
On this anniversary, from the editorial team of Pongamos que Hablo in Madrid, we recall one of her most powerful quotes: “Denying women equal rights on the basis of sex is denying justice to half the population”. A statement that, decades later, continues to challenge societies around the world.
The figure of Berta Lutz, who passed away in Rio de Janeiro in 1976, serves as a reminder of the long journey taken and the ongoing challenges in terms of equality. Her legacy, however, remains alive in international treaties and in the memory of those who continue her fight.
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