Nearly half of Brazilian women (46%) are not treated with respect in the country. This feeling is repeated at home, in the workplace and on the streets – where 49 percent of them say they are not respected.

The figures can be found in the 11th National Survey on Violence Against Women – the largest survey on the subject in Brazil, conducted by DataSenado and Nexus in partnership with the Senate’s Women’s Observatory Against Violence.

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The survey interviewed over 20 thousand women in all regions of the country and reveals that sexism continues to be the rule rather than the exception – 94 percent of respondents classify Brazil as a sexist nation.

“This biennial monitoring and updating of data allows us to measure how things are and what has changed in the country compared to violence against women and perceptions on the subject. In other words, senators and the government need these data in order to create and measure the success of laws and public policies to protect women,” said Marcos Ruben de Oliveira, coordinator of the DataSenado Research Institute.

Sexism

The perception that Brazil is a sexist nation remains virtually unanimous among women. In 2025, 94 percent of them say they live in a sexist country – the same as in 2023. The difference, however, lies in how sexist – the group that considers Brazil to be very sexist rose from 62 to 70 percent in two years, representing 8 million more women.

Since 2017, the percentage has never fallen below 90 percent, and a mere two percent of Brazilian women say they do not see sexism in the country. The surge in the perception of sexism goes hand in hand with the feeling that domestic violence has grown – 79 percent of women believe this type of violence has risen in the last 12 months, resuming the highest level in the time series.

Disrespect

Since 2011, the streets have been the environment most often mentioned as being the most disrespectful. Even though the number of women sharing this view fell from 2023 to 2025, almost half (49%) of respondents still say it is on public thoroughfares that they feel most vulnerable. Meanwhile, the notion that disrespect is greater at home increased by four points – which corresponds to about 3.3 million more women. In the workplace, in turn, there was no significant change, but it remains in second place.

“Even though it is worrying that women are not respected in their closest social circle – which in theory should be a safe and welcoming space – this is consistent with the high rates of domestic violence in the country. Unfortunately, it is not only the streets that present danger and disrespect, as demonstrated by our high rates of femicide,” said Beatriz Accioly, anthropologist and leader for public policies for the end of violence against girls and women at the Natura Institute.

Regional differences

Differences in how respect is perceived also vary depending on the region. The survey shows that in the Brazilian South, for instance, 53 percent of women say that “sometimes” women are not treated with respect – the highest among all regions. In the Northeast, half of the respondents (50%) say that women are not respected. Even though no statistically significant difference is found compared to the Northeast, the Southeast comes next, with 48 percent, followed by the Central-West (44%) and the North (41%).

Despite variations, all Brazilian regions show a significant presence of women who report to have an experience oscillating between occasional respect and complete disrespect, demonstrating that the feeling of instability in how society treats women is widespread. “The data help us gauge how violence against women is no longer restricted to the domestic sphere and has become structural, with long-term social and economic effects,” Maria Teresa Prado, coordinator of the Women’s Observatory Against Violence in the Senate, pointed out.

Education

When data analysis is based on schooling, the picture reveals even deeper inequalities. Among illiterate women, 62 percent say that women are not treated with respect – a much higher rate than among those who have completed higher education (41%). The perception of respect grows as the level of education rises, but does not disappear completely – even among women with a university degree, only eight percent say that women are fully respected. The greatest variations are concentrated in the groups with incomplete secondary and higher education, where more than half of the respondents claim that women are treated with respect only sometimes, revealing that education can reduce – but not eliminate – the perception of disrespect and structural sexism.

“The intersection between education and perception of respect also shows how educational inequalities translate into social vulnerability. Women with less access to formal education not only perceive more situations of disrespect, but also face greater difficulty in reporting or accessing protection services,” says Vitória Régia da Silva, executive director of the Gender and Number Association.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced on Monday (Dec. 8) that he intends to convene a meeting with representatives of the branches of government and social sectors to promote what he called an “educational task force” to combat violence against women. Amid a wave of femicide cases that have shocked the country, thousands of people in several cities took to the streets this weekend to denounce violence and demand freedom, respect, and safety for Brazilian women.

“It is important to involve the National Congress - the Senate and the House of Representatives - the Supreme Court, the Superior Court of Justice, the state courts of justice, trade unionists, evangelicals; we need everyone to join forces in an educational task force,” said Lula in a speech during the 14th National Social Assistance Conference, which is taking place in Brasília.

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The president did not specify a date but said he would try to hold the meeting by the end of the year.

“We must be outraged by violence toward women,” said the president, who again mentioned recent cases, such as the episode in São Paulo involving Douglas Alves da Silva, 26, who ran over and dragged Tainara Souza Santos, 31. The crime occurred on November 29. She had her legs amputated after being dragged under the vehicle for about 1 kilometer and remains hospitalized.

Lula also cited the case of a 39-year-old man arrested in flagrante delicto in Recife, also in late November, accused of setting a fire that killed his pregnant wife and the couple’s four children. The president once again called for male involvement in the fight.

“The plain and simple truth is that violence only has one side. It is not women who have to change their behavior, it is men,” he said.

Lula emphasized that he will make the fight against violence toward women his political struggle from now on. “Here in Brazil, we are going to have to create a movement. It is primarily an educational problem; we are going to have to learn in school and educate our children,” he added.

For the past week, Lula has been addressing the issue of gender violence at the official events he attends.

Violence

According to the National Map of Gender Violence, approximately 3.7 million Brazilian women have experienced one or more episodes of domestic violence in the last 12 months.

In 2024, 1,459 women were victims of femicide. On average, about four women were murdered every day in 2024 because of their gender, whether in contexts of domestic or family violence or due to contempt and discrimination related to their female status.

This year, Brazil has already recorded more than 1,180 femicides and nearly 3,000 daily calls to Ligue 180, Brazil’s national hotline for reporting violence against women, according to the Ministry of Women.

“Corrective rape, slaps, and stabbings – they want to keep us silent, but not even death can silence us. Women alive!” With these words, social worker Elisandra “Lis” Martins ended her speech at the battle of rhymes in downtown Brasília, at the Levante Mulheres Vivas (“Women Alive Uprising”), held in several state capitals across Brazil on Sunday (Dec. 7).

Under heavy rain, thousands of people joined the protest in the Federal District to denounce violence against women, femicide, and the government’s failure to protect and prevent gender-based violence.

The protest was called by dozens of women’s organizations after a series of high-profile cases of femicide shocked Brazil in recent days. In Brasília, activists gave speeches and cultural performances took place at the TV Tower in the city center.

Thirty-year-old rapper Elisandra “Lis” Martins is a member of the Batalha das Gurias (“Gals’ Battle”) collective, of the Frente Nacional de Mulheres no Hip-Hop (“National Front of Women in Hip-Hop”), and attended the event to denounce gender violence in the hope of provoking a reaction from the government. 

“It’s violence based on gender, violence based on race / We keep trying to live, but we’re out of space / In the job market we’re left in the underworld / And to live we’re given the underworld / First rejection, then depression / We try to breathe – decompression” she rhymed. Lis hails from Itapoã, a district in Brasília some 10 km from Brazil’s government headquarters.

The rally was also joined by federal officials – including six female ministers and federal representatives, First Lady Janja Lula da Silva, and various popular leaders.

On Sunday, women’s protests were also held in other capitals – such as Rio de Janeiro, where hundreds gathered at Copacabana Beach, and São Paulo, where the crowd convened on Paulista Avenue.

State violence

In the federal capital, protesters repeatedly condemned the state and the inability of institutions to protect women victims of violence and to prevent these crimes.

Vanessa Hacon, who holds a PhD in Social Sciences, is an activist with the Mães na Luta (“Mothers in Struggle”) collective, which offers counseling to women victims of violence. She claims that the justice system is negligent in its treatment of women and often blames the victims themselves.

“Women leave home to escape domestic violence and end up in the justice system, where procedural violence is preposterous, with judges doing close to nothing,” Dr. Hacon said.

“There’s a sexist ideology in the courts that invalidates complaints through vulgar gender stereotypes – ‘This woman is resentful,’ ‘She can’t get over her former partner,’ ‘She’s vindictive.’ Women’s complaints need to be taken seriously, rather than dismissed on vague grounds,” she went on to argue.

Patriarchy

Chanting slogans such as “Feminism is revolution” and “Women alive,” the protesters highlighted that the patriarchal way in which society has been structured over the centuries contributes to an “epidemic” of femicides in Brazil.

“Patriarchy is when society is based on the logic that men – the male gender – have power, and that the power is centralized in them, that it starts with them,” said Leonor Costa, an activist with Movimento Negro Unificado (“Unified Black Movement”).

She told Agência Brasil that the “absurd” cases of femicide in recent days have sparked outrage among women nationwide.

“I hope these demonstrations can raise awareness in society, showing the danger that women face in their daily lives and, more than that, raise awareness in the government. We must have public policies put in place to curb this level of violence,” she declared.

In her view, education is key to changing this culture. “We need education policies that can raise awareness so that society can understand that this is a national problem – not merely a problem I face as a woman,” she added.

The role of men and the public budget
 

Most of the protesters were women, but a large number of men also took part in the demonstration, and the leaders in attendance stressed their role in the fight against gender-based violence, as writer, filmmaker, and retired teacher Renata Parreira explained.

“We need to call on men to discuss and reflect on their toxic masculinity. We need to bring them on board as allies in this fight so we can change the way society is structured,” she said.

In the opinion of Parreira, who is a member of Levante Feminista contra o Feminicídio, Lesbocídio, e Transfeminicídio (“Feminist Uprising Against the Killing of Women, Lesbians, and Trans Women”), the public budget needs to be increased if gender-based violence is to be combated.

“Without a public budget, without qualified staff, without economic and social research indicators, there is no way to develop effective public policies for the prevention of violence against women. We need to transform reality through education because culture is not fixed, it is dynamic and can be changed,” she added.

An economic issue

The economic situation faced by women was another factor mentioned as contributing to gender-based violence.

Entrepreneur Aline Karina Dias, 36, believes that financial independence is the key to emancipating a large number of women from cycles of violence and exclusion.

“We see entrepreneurship and financial independence as tools for women’s emancipation and survival. Many women who are killed suffer this kind of violence because of social issues, such as lack of housing and employment,” she said.

Aline Karina runs Sebas Turística, a community-based Afro-tourism project that promotes tourism in São Sebastião, another district in Brasília, about 17 km from the country’s chief government buildings.

Behind the demonstration 
 

The countrywide mobilization was called after a wave of recent femicides shook Brazil.

In late November, Tainara Souza Santos had her legs mutilated after being run over and dragged for about a kilometer while still trapped under the vehicle. The driver, Douglas Alves da Silva, was arrested and charged with the crime.

That same week, two employees of a federal center for technological education in Rio de Janeiro were shot dead by an employee of the institution, who then killed himself.

On Friday (5), the charred body of Army Corporal Maria de Lourdes Freire Matos, 25, was found in Brasília. The crime is being investigated as femicide after 21-year-old soldier Kelvin Barros da Silva confessed to the murder.

According to Brazil’s National Map of Gender Violence, approximately 3.7 million Brazilian women experienced one or more episodes of domestic violence in the last 12 months.

In 2024, 1,459 women were victims of femicide in Brazil. On average, around four women were murdered every day in 2024 because of their gender. In 2025, Brazil has recorded over 1,180 femicides.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva spoke on Tuesday (Dec. 2) about recent femicide cases that shocked Brazil, urging men to take responsibility for changing the culture of gender-based violence in society. He made the statement during an event in Ipojuca, in the metropolitan region of Recife, which marked the launch of works to expand the operational capacity of the Abreu e Lima Refinery (Rnest).

“I wanted to address us men. What goes on in the mind of this animal, considered the most intelligent species on Earth, to cause so much violence? I woke up on Sunday (Nov. 30) and during breakfast, Janja (the first lady) started crying. At night, while watching Fantástico (on TV Globo), she cried again. Yesterday (Monday), she cried once more,” said the president.

Lula said that the first lady asked him to take a “tougher stance” against violence by men toward women. He cited some of the most tragic incidents of violence recorded in recent days.

“This week, a man grabbed two pistols and fired them at his wife. Another killed his pregnant wife, who had three children, and set their house on fire. Yet another ran over his wife and dragged her for a kilometer. She will survive, but with both legs amputated. The question I ask is: does the Brazilian Penal Code have a penalty capable of bringing justice to an irrational animal like that?” he questioned.

Two of the cases cited by Lula occurred in the city of São Paulo. In one, a man fled after firing at least six times with two weapons at his ex-partner in a pastry shop where she worked, in the northern zone of the city, on Monday morning (Dec. 1). He did not accept the end of the relationship. The other case, also an attempted femicide, was committed by Douglas Alves da Silva, 26, who ran over and dragged Tainara Souza Santos, 31, on Saturday morning (Nov. 29), also in the northern zone of São Paulo. She had both legs amputated after being dragged under the vehicle for about a kilometer and remains hospitalized.

In Recife, a 39-year-old man was arrested on the spot on Saturday, suspected of starting a fire that killed his pregnant wife and the couple’s four children.

“Each of us men needs to be a teacher to one another. Each of us has to educate our children, and each of us has to educate our partners. If you’re not happy with your partner, please be a grown man - don’t hit her, just separate from her. If she doesn’t like you, she isn’t obligated to stay with you; let her live her life. Don’t imprison that person, don’t be cruel, don’t be ignorant. Because when you think about it, there’s no punishment for a man like that - even death is too mild. There needs to be a national movement of men against the animals who beat, abuse, and mistreat women,” Lula continued.

Femicide is the homicide of a woman committed because of her gender, characterized by domestic or family violence, contempt, or discrimination against the female condition. It is considered the most extreme expression of gender violence and often occurs as the culmination of a history of aggression, motivated by hatred, dehumanization, or a sense of ownership over the victim. In Brazil, it is classified as a heinous crime and, when treated as an aggravating circumstance in homicide, carries a prison sentence of twelve to thirty years.

Since January, 207 women have been killed in the state of São Paulo alone as victims of femicide. In October, there were 22 victims of this type of crime and another 5,838 women who suffered intentional bodily harm.

Male awareness

Also in his speech, the president recalled being raised by his mother, along with five siblings, and taught never to act violently toward women. He called on men to demonstrate character, dignity, and respect, and renewed his appeal for a collective effort by men to confront gender violence.

“From now on, I am part of a movement of men who will begin raising awareness in this country that men were not born to beat women, to rape children, or to commit violence. Raise your hand if you are with me in this fight. We are going to have a strong campaign,” he emphasized.

Refinery

Considered Petrobras’ most modern refinery, Rnest will receive approximately BRL 12 billion in investments to complete processing unit 2 and carry out additional maintenance on processing unit 1, which is expected to add 130,000 barrels per day to the plant’s processing capacity. The refinery is estimated to reach 260,000 barrels per day by the end of the project in 2029. According to the state-owned company, it will supply 17 percent of the country’s diesel demand and will also produce gasoline, LPG, and naphtha.