Report: Brazil has highest number of trans people killed in 2022

For the 14th consecutive year, Brazil was named the nation with the highest number of transgender people killed.

In 2022, 131 trans people were murdered in the country. Another 20 took their own lives as a result of discrimination and prejudice. Next on the list are Mexico and the US.

The data can be found on the Dossiê Assassinatos e Violências contra Travestis e Transexuais Brasileiras (“Report on Murders and Violence against Brazilian Travestis and Transsexuals”) of the National Association of Travestis and Transsexuals (ANTRA), released during a ceremony at the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship Thursday (Jan. 26).

Of the total, 130 victims were trans women and one was a trans man. The youngest was 15 years old. Almost 90 percent of them aged 15–40.

Minister of Human Rights and Citizenship Silvio Almeida referred to the figure as “a tragedy,” adding it should serve as an opportunity to change the reality faced by transgender people.

“When we talk about gender and sexuality, we are accused of being identitarian. I ask these people if we can build a country with the numbers we see now,” he said.

According to head researcher and ANTRA Secretary of Political Integration Bruna Benevides, the lack of measures to address violence against LGBTQIAP+ people contribute to this picture. Underreporting and the lack of government data can also contribute to creating an inaccurate scenario over the years and making it difficult to identify the individuals accountable.

“How much visibility have trans people received? If you look up ‘travesti’ online, eight out of ten news stories are about violence. This landscape needs to change. We stand on the front line, but it also means we’re the first to be killed,” Benevides pointed out.

Victims

The profile of the victims in Brazil remains virtually the same as in other years—black and impoverished transgender women. Prostitution is their most common source of income. Among the victims, 76 percent were black and 24 percent were white. The survey shows that trans women are up to 38 times more likely to be murdered compared to trans men and non-binary people.