Women in Brazil - Violence Against Women

Violence Against Women

Though prohibited by law, domestic violence in Brazil remains widespread and underreported. There is a tendency to blame the victims of these offenses, and most criminal complaints regarding domestic violence are suspended inconclusively. The government has acted to combat violence against women, particularly by creating police stations dedicated exclusively to addressing crimes against women. While many of these stations have fallen far short of standards and lack strategies to protect victims after the reports were filed, they nevertheless have raised public awareness of crimes against women. The recent Lei Maria da Penha (Maria da Penha Law, which was named as a tribute to Maria da Penha, a woman who became paraplegic after she was beaten by her violent husband and fought for the approval of this law) was sanctioned in 2006 and marks an effort to make the imprisonment of violent husbands more rigid and guaranteed in order to prevent domestic violence and avoid impunity.

Rape is illegal and punishable by eight to 10 years imprisonment. However, few rapists are brought to trial or convicted. Marital rape, though technically illegal, is not commonly viewed by the courts as a crime.