Domestic violence in Brazil

Domestic violence is an issue in Brazil. Between 10 and 15 women are murdered per day in Brazil.

Between 5000 and 5050 women are murdered per year in Brazil. A government sponsored study found that 41,532 women were murdered in Brazil between 1997 and 2007.

UN Special Rapporteur Leandro Despouy noted a tendency to blame the victims of these offenses. According to government officials and NGO workers, the majority of criminal complaints regarding domestic violence were suspended inconclusively.

Brazilian law prohibits domestic violence, and the government has taken steps that specifically address violence against women and spousal abuse. On August 7, 2006, President Lula signed the Law of Domestic and Family Violence. The law triples previous punishments for those convicted of such crimes, and also creates special courts in all states to preside over these cases. It is also the first official codification of domestic violence crimes. In 2015, Brazil enacted a law against femicide.

The government acted to combat violence against women. Each state secretariat for public security operated delegacias da mulher (DEAM). These police stations are dedicated exclusively to addressing crimes against women. The quality of services varied widely, and availability was particularly limited in isolated areas. The stations provided psychological counseling, temporary shelter, and hospital treatment for victims of domestic violence and rape (including treatment for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases).

The stations also provided assistance to prosecution of criminal cases by investigating and forwarding evidence to the courts. According to the Ministry of Justice, while many of the DEAMs fell far short of standards and lacked strategies to protect victims after the reports were filed, they nevertheless served to raise public awareness of crimes against women.

The federal government continued to operate a toll-free hotline to address complaints of violence against women. The law requires health facilities to contact the police regarding cases in which a woman was harmed physically, sexually, or psychologically.

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