Artist Gives Free Tattoos To Survivors Of Domestic Violence

A tattoo artist in Brazil is helping women transform their scars from domestic abuse into beautiful tattoos. For the past 2 years, Flavia Carvalho, tattoos women who have been victims of domestic abuse for free. She calls the her project “A Pele da Flor” (“the Skin of the Flower”).

Carvalho has covered up scars that have come from stabbing, bullets and other acts of domestic violence. She also has helped cover up medical scars from mastectomies. She wants to change the women’s “ugly” reminders of the pain in their pasts into something beautiful.

Carvalho recently told the Huffington Post in an interview how the project began. “It all started about two years ago, when I worked with a client who wanted to cover a large scar on her abdomen.”

“She told me that she was at a nightclub, and when she turned down a man who approached her, he stabbed her with an switchblade. When she saw the finished tattoo, she was extremely moved, and that deeply touched me.”

The photos below are from a woman who also suffered scars from stab wounds. The scars (center image) are transformed into a beautiful tableau of birds and flowers.

The women do not have to pay for the tattoos, but they do have to give input and approval into the design. Carvalho says the positive reactions from the women are both surprising and inspiring.

“They become excited, optimistic,” said Carvalho. “It is wonderful to see how their relationship with their bodies changes after they get the tattoos.”

The photos below: this scar (left) was caused by a bullet fired by the woman’s ex-boyfriend. They chose a cherry blossom as a symbol of beauty and a reminder of how precious and short life is.

This tattoo covers up scars a woman got while she lived homeless on the streets for several years. She suffered many violent incidents, but overcame the despair and helplessness. They picked a tattoo of the Phoenix as a symbol of redemption and rebirth.

See more of Carvalho’s work on Facebook and be sure to share Flavia Carvalho’s wonderful project with your friends and family!