Todos São Dignos Duma Vida Sem Violência: A Characterization of Violence Against Women in Brazil

This project examines recent laws, programs, and cultural practices around violence against women in Brazil. As an advocate for immigrant victims of domestic violence last summer, I met Maria, a Brazilian woman who briefly... [ view full abstract ]

This project examines recent laws, programs, and cultural practices around violence against women in Brazil. As an advocate for immigrant victims of domestic violence last summer, I met Maria, a Brazilian woman who briefly left her abusive situation but then returned to reconcile. Struck by her story, I started looking into cultural views and government responses to domestic violence in Brazil. My research was primarily qualitative: a literature review on current laws and practices, as well as accounts of abused women, though WHO and UN reports give a more quantitative measure of domestic violence in Brazil. My findings conclude that a post-colonial, patriarchal Brazilian society maintains gender norms that marginalize domestic violence claims. For much of the twentieth century, perpetrators claimed “defense of honor” to justify violent or oppressive actions against women. In the ‘80s and ‘90s, the first rudimentary laws still carried a long–rooted culture of machismo, pushing women to reconcile with their partners and instituting ineffective punishments that often caused further harm. These policies have begun to change, particularly with the establishment of the Lei Maria da Penha in 2006, but more cohesive policies and educative programs that humanize victims are still needed.​