Lethal violence against women drops in Brazil
New data from Brazil’s Ministry of Women show that 1,450 femicides and 2,485 intentional homicides of women and bodily injuries followed by death were recorded in the country in 2024.
A femicide is the murder of a woman which is motivated by her status as a woman, or the result of domestic or family violence or discrimination. The penalty is higher in such cases.
The records indicate a 5.07 percent decline in all cases of lethal violence against women compared to 2023, when 1,438 cases of femicide and another 2,707 cases of intentional homicide and bodily injury followed by the deaths of women were recorded.
Still on forms of violence against women, the figures found that Brazil recorded the equivalent of 196 rapes per day in 2024—which totaled 71,892 cases of rape of women in the whole of last year. Despite the high number, a 1.44 percent reduction was recorded from 2023.
Public policies
Women’s Minister Cida Gonçalves said the drop in gender violence figures comes as a result of public policies, the national mobilization to eliminate femicide, national debates, and a change in behavior when it comes to intervening in cases of violence.
“This means that someone’s intervening before it happens. Someone’s is taking the initiative. That’s what we need—a society that won’t keep quiet, won’t say it’s only the government’s responsibility. It’s primarily the government’s responsibility, but it’s the role of society as a whole to intervene, to call, to provide guidance and to talk about it.”
According to Ministry of Health records, 60.4 percent of cases of violence against adult women (aged 20–59) targeted black and brown women, while 37.5 percent targeted white women. The statistics reveal the overlapping vulnerabilities of black women, the Ministry of Women reports.
In 76.6 percent of records of domestic, sexual, and other violence against women, the aggressor is a man. In addition, the home is a place of greater risk for women, as that is where 71.6 percent of notifications occur, as recorded by the ministry in 2023.
During the ceremony for the release of the 2025 data, Minister Cida Gonçalves emphasized that tackling violence against women, children, and adolescents requires strengthening public policies.
“Now, the challenge is how to keep [violence] on the wane. This doesn’t mean we should sit back. But it does mean that what we do, with the few resources we have, has sent a message and yielded results,” she said.
Further highlights
Also reported is that women made up the majority of people in charge of Brazilian households. On average, they earned 79.3 percent of men’s income in formal businesses with 100 or more employees and were more successful in the 2024 elections than in 2020. Of all the women candidates for mayor, 30.6 percent were elected.
The minister also pointed out that the 2025 results will help inform public policies and studies of various kinds. “The report will help us to have the great debate we need in this country. We want to eliminate femicide.”
