An active research was carried out in which a special group named "Citizenship Circle" was formed. It aimed to present the facts and actions that have influenced the achievement of sexual and reproductive rights of a group made up of 16 poor women. The research was developed in 15 meetings, from December of 2003 until July of 2004. Based on Paulo Freire’s conceptions, two main themes were discussed: "the body" and "the right to have rights". The discussions in these meetings gave origin to the themes, which in turn revealed social, economic, and cultural differences - reinforcing the submissive condition of these poor women as well as the dilemmas and challenges from the condition of being a woman in the (difficult) exercise of sexual and reproductive rights, as part of the living process of the studied group.
Sexual and reproductive rights; Women’s health; Health education