Brazil in the Spotlight: Violence, Accountability, and a National Commitment to End Femicide

Each day during NO MORE Week, we’re highlighting how communities around the world are taking action to end abuse. Today, join us on the KNOW MORE Blog and NO MORE’s social channels as we spotlight efforts across Latin America.

In this guest post, Daniela Grelin, Executive Director of Brazil Says NO MORE, discusses the significance of taking action against gender-based violence in Brazil.

Brazil is living at a tipping point.

On one hand, Brazil is preparing to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™, a global celebration of women’s excellence, leadership, and visibility in sport. On the other, it continues to confront a deep and persistent crisis of violence against women.

According to the latest edition of the National Survey on Violence Against Women (DataSenado, 2025), an estimated 3.7 million Brazilian women experienced domestic or family violence in the past 12 months alone. Nearly 28% of women report having suffered violence at some point in their lives. In 2025, 1,470 women lost their lives as a consequence of gender-based violence, a historic record that shames the country and points to a systemic failure requiring structural change.

The violence that harms women impacts families and generations as well. Episodes are often witnessed. In 71% of reported cases, aggression occurred in the presence of others, frequently children. Many women report enduring violence for more than a year before it stops. For too many, it never stops. It ends in tragedy.

And yet, the crisis is not invisible. Brazilian women are acutely aware of what is happening around them. Nearly 80% believe violence against women has increased in recent years, and seventy per cent describe Brazil as a “very sexist” society. These perceptions are not abstract. They reflect lived experience.

Violence against women in Brazil is not only a criminal justice issue. It is a question of culture, power, inequality, and institutional response. It is a democratic challenge.

But there is another side to this story.

In early February, Brazil took an unprecedented step with the launch of the National Pact for Zero Femicide, a formal commitment jointly endorsed by the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of government. This alignment of the three powers of the Republic sends a powerful message. Femicide is not a partisan, regional, or ideological issue. It is a national priority.

The Pact seeks to strengthen prevention mechanisms, improve coordination among institutions, enhance protection measures for women at risk, and ensure greater accountability for perpetrators. It signals recognition at the highest levels of government that gender-based lethal violence is preventable and must be prevented.

For activists around the world, this moment in Brazil offers both caution and possibility. Caution, because the scale of the crisis reminds us that legal frameworks alone are not enough. Brazil has one of the most advanced domestic violence laws in the world, the Maria da Penha Law, yet enforcement gaps, cultural norms, and institutional fragilities continue to undermine protection. Possibility, because when civil society pressure, public awareness, and political leadership converge, structural change becomes more viable.

Ending femicide is therefore a complex and systemic challenge that requires more than punishment. It demands the orchestration of multiple efforts simultaneously, starting with prevention. Early intervention is essential, as this is a largely avoidable problem.

Prevention requires transforming social norms around masculinity, power, and control. This means engaging men and boys in the spaces where these notions are formed. That is why a concerted effort mobilising media, sport, education systems, and faith communities is absolutely critical. It also requires data transparency, institutional integration through processes and systems, and clear accountability.

An effective response to this systemic challenge must be a coordinated, multistakeholder effort. This is why the National Pact represents such a powerful window of opportunity.

Brazil’s moment is a reminder that national commitments must be matched by cultural transformation. Laws matter. Budgets matter. If one wishes to assess the level of priority a government places on women’s lives, the budget allocated to anti-GBV programmes is a clear indicator. Political alignment matters. But so does narrative.

As Brazil prepares for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™, the country stands at a crossroads. Will global visibility coexist with persistent violence, or will this international spotlight become a catalyst for lasting change? For the global movement to end domestic and sexual violence, Brazil’s journey underscores a critical truth. Transformation demands collective action.

The launch of the National Pact for Zero Femicide is not the end of a struggle. It is the beginning of a new phase, one that must be monitored, strengthened, and supported. For activists worldwide, Brazil’s story calls on us to do what movements have always done. Connect data to dignity, outrage to organisation, and policy to people.

Because zero femicide is not a slogan.
It is a standard.
And it must be non-negotiable.

Learn more about how organizations and advocates are responding to gender-based violence throughout Asia on our NO MORE Week Regional Playlist on YouTube.

To seek help or find a support service near you, visit the NO MORE Global Directory.