Panmela Castro (2012)

Panmela Castro was born and raised in the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She has own personal history and desire to make people aware of Domestic Violence Against Women through graffiti art. Panmela is proof that no matter how young you are, you have the power to make change. She created an organization called Rede Nami. Through these organization, Panmela Castro uses her graffiti to help spread the word, and so she took to the streets of Rio's hillside favelas, partnering with human-rights organizations to turn underground public art into messages condemning domestic violence. She travels the world with her art and has been honored with numerous international awards for her social work, including the Diller Von Furstenberg Family Foundation for Extraordinary Women, the Vital Voices Global Leadership Award for human rights, and, on 2012, she was nominated by the Newsweek magazine one of the 150 women that are shaking the world. The strength and the focus of these young activist, whose artistic work has been denouncing, protecting and even saving lives.