This Awesome Tattoo Artist Is Covering The Scars Of Domestic Violence Survivors Free Of Charge

This Awesome Tattoo Artist Is Covering The Scars Of Domestic Violence Survivors Free Of Charge.

Via BuzzFeed – This is Flavia Carvalho, a 31-year-old tattoo artist from Brazil. As a talented tattooer she’s had people seek her services for a number of reasons. Two years ago, she had a client who wanted to cover up a scar on her abdomen. The scar had a terrible backstory, being the result of a violent attack. That’s when Carvalho decided to use her skills to help other women.

Carvalho Told the Huffington Post how the story behind her clients scars changed her:

Moved by the woman’s story, Carvalho started the project A Pele da Flor (The Skin of the Flower). She then started tattooing over scars women have suffered from acts of violence free of charge. To spread awareness, she shares the before-and-after pictures of the scars that the stories of how the women receive them.

Carvalho said the woman’s reactions when they reach out to her are powerful and moving. “The sense of affection, sisterhood and camaraderie is deeper than I ever imagined,” she said. “They contact me from all over the country, as well as from abroad. They come to the studio, share their stories of pain and resilience, and they show me their scars.”

She went on to describe how the tattoos impact the women after they get inked. “They become excited, optimistic,” she said. “It’s wonderful to see how their relationship with their bodies change after they get the tattoos. I follow many of them on Facebook, and I see how, after being ashamed of their scarred bodies, they now post pictures in dresses and they look happy, changed. It is transformative.”

Carvalho said that the bigger purpose of this project is to shed light on the issue of domestic violence. She’s now working with women’s groups and local police to put her in direct contact with women who may want her services.