Notifications of violence against women increased in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period last year, according to data released Monday by the Brazilian Public Security Forum.
The number of homicides of women rose 2.6 percent to 1,902, while reports of rape and statutory rape rose 14.9 percent compared to the first six months of last year. Both figures were compiled from police reports in Brazilian states and could change pending investigations. The second figure could be higher due to underreporting.
The number of reported femicides also increased by 2.6 percent to a total of 722. Femicide was defined as a crime in Brazil in 2015 and occurs when the homicide results from domestic and family violence because the victim is female, and/or because of disregard or discrimination against the female condition.
The number of reported femicides in the first six months of the year increased exclusively in the Southeast, Brazil’s wealthiest and most populous region, further indicating a disparity between regions in how much violence against women is characterized as femicide.
On average, 38 percent of the murders of women in Brazil were classified as femicide, the same percentage as in 2022. However, the proportion varied widely across the country: in the capital, Brasília, 75 percent of murders of women were classified as femicides, compared to only 20.2 percent in the northeastern state of Ceará.
Violence against women increased even as the overall number of homicides fell by 3.4 percent in the first half of the year, according to official data released by the state governments.
The researchers conclude that “although legislation is constantly being improved, legal provisions often do not translate into practice in the lives of thousands of women.”
The report suggests that the Executive and Judicial Branches give priority to the Houses of Brazilian Women, short-term shelters that integrate social policies and police, prosecution, and court services; as opposed to ankle bracelet monitoring for sex offenders, which appear to be “little effective” in preventing femicides.
The federal government has pledged to build 40 more shelters by the end of 2026. Currently, only seven such facilities are operational.
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