Brazil against gender-based violence

By María Josefina Arce

One in three women in the world is a victim of violence, and Latin America and the Caribbean is one of the regions with the highest rates of femicide. In the last three years, the region has recorded almost nine thousand gender-related murders.

Brazil is the Latin American country with the highest number of cases of extreme violence against women. According to the latest Brazilian Public Security Yearbook, 1,467 such incidents were recorded in 2023 alone.

Statistics show that 63.6% of the victims were black women and 71.1% were aged between 18 and 44.

Since taking office in January 2023, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has adopted a series of measures to guarantee women's rights and combat all forms of violence to which they are subjected.

In recent days, for example, he has approved a law that increases the penalty for femicide to 40 years in prison, the highest penalty in the Brazilian penal code, according to experts.

The new law classifies femicide as a heinous crime and places it in a separate article, no longer as a form of aggravated homicide.

It also prevents those who have committed crimes against women from holding public or elective office.

According to experts, the creation of a specific offence for femicide is a necessary measure to make this form of extreme violence against women more visible and also to strengthen the fight against this scourge.

The enactment of this law comes on top of other measures, such as the presentation last March of the action plan of the National Pact for the Prevention of Femicide, which involves several ministries and includes various measures with a budget of 500 million dollars.

Also, last August, the government of President Lula da Silva launched the Zero Feminicide Campaign, which aims to involve all sectors of the South American nation in the fight against this scourge.

The government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is serious about combating violence against women and guaranteeing their rights as citizens of the South American giant.