Brazil registered 84,760 cases of missing persons in 2025. This figure equates to 232 disappearances per day and is 4.1 percent higher than in 2024, when 81,406 disappearances were recorded.

Data from the National Public Security Information System (Sinesp) indicate that even the creation of the National Policy for the Search for Missing Persons in 2019 was unable to contain the escalation of the problem. That year, 81,306 cases were recorded, a figure 4.2 percent lower than the previous year.

Brazilian legislation establishes a set of guidelines and integrated actions aimed at expediting and coordinating the location of missing persons nationwide, with a focus on cooperation among security, healthcare, and social assistance agencies.

Since 2015, when 75,916 cases were recorded, the number of missing persons in Brazil declined only in 2020 (63,151) and 2021 (67,362). According to experts, this drop was due to COVID-19 restrictions, which, among other effects, made access to police stations more difficult and increased underreporting.

“There is a consensus that this temporary drop was caused by the pandemic, as people were required to stay at home,” Simone Rodrigues, coordinator of the Observatory of Missing Persons in Brazil (ObDes) at the University of Brasília (UnB), told Agência Brasil.

Missing persons located

The total number of people located has also been increasing since the beginning of this decade. In 2020, 37,561 people reported missing reappeared or were located. By 2025, this figure had risen to 56,688, an increase of 51 percent over the period and 2 percent compared to 2024, when 55,530 people were located.

Rodrigues pointed out that the progress reflects both the rising number of cases and improvements in search strategies and tools.

“I have seen greater commitment, especially in the past two years, to promoting data interoperability and communication between institutions [federal, state, and municipal],” said the lawyer, who holds a PhD in political science.

For her, official data do not account for the real complexity of the problem, as many disappearances are associated with unsolved crimes. One example is the recent case of real estate agent Daiane Alves de Souza, 43, in Caldas Novas, Goiás state.

Souza disappeared on December 17 last year, after being filmed in the elevator of the building where she lived. Her body was found on Wednesday, January 28, in a wooded area, in an advanced state of decomposition. The building’s superintendent, Cléber Rosa de Oliveira, accused of committing the crime along with his son, confessed to killing the real estate agent and indicated the location of her body.

“The dynamics of disappearance cases are complex and diverse. To understand them, it is necessary to consider the various forms of violence that are often involved, such as femicide, human trafficking, forced labor, LGBTQphobia, and the concealment of bodies,” Rodrigues said. She emphasized that, in many cases, relatives or acquaintances of the victims avoid or are unable to file a police report.

“In contexts involving the actions of militias or other criminal groups, for example, it is common for people close to the victims to fail to notify the authorities. Indigenous people also do not usually file police reports in these cases, nor do people experiencing homelessness. Therefore, even if surprising, the figures are not reliable, as there is underreporting,” Rodrigues added.

Minors

Just like the children who disappeared in Bacabal, Maranhão, on January 4, in a search that mobilized hundreds of people and drew nationwide attention, nearly a third (28%) of the people who disappeared in 2025 were under 18 years old. The 23,919 cases involving children and adolescents represent an 8 percent increase compared to the 22,092 disappearances of children and adolescents recorded in 2024 - double the overall average increase of 4 percent. However, compared to the 27,730 cases in 2019, the year the National Policy for the Search for Missing Persons came into effect, the most recent figure is 14 percent lower.

Another striking fact is that, while men account for 64 percent of all missing persons in 2025, among children and adolescents the majority of cases (62%) involve girls.

“Many of these children and adolescents are fleeing contexts of domestic violence, and in such cases state agents need to be sensitive enough not to expose them to those situations again. At the same time, they cannot generalize, because not all cases are the same,” the specialist explained.

National policy

The coordinator of the Observatory of Missing Persons in Brazil noted that the National Policy for the Search for Missing Persons was an important initial response to the problem, but after nearly seven years it is “still in its infancy” in the country.

“It is being implemented little by little, and it already needs adjustments. Just consider that the National Registry of Missing Persons, which is the heart of the policy, was only created in 2025 and has seen low participation from the states,” she commented.

According to the National Secretariat of Public Security (Senasp), records of disappearances and locations from 12 of Brazil’s 26 states and the Federal District are integrated into the national registry, created seven years after the enactment of the National Policy for the Search for Missing Persons to support investigations and facilitate cross-referencing of information.

Improvements

When contacted for comment, the Ministry of Justice and Public Security acknowledged the underreporting in official records but noted that, precisely because of this, “the four percent increase compared to the previous year does not necessarily mean a real increase in cases,” it wrote in a note.

The ministry highlighted that classifying the different causes of disappearances is “a statistical challenge” that depends on “the meticulous investigation of each case of location and the rigorous standardization” of the information collected.

Furthermore, the note read that in recent years it has been working with states and the Federal District to strengthen the pillars of the National Policy for the Search for Missing Persons. These efforts include the launch of the National Registry of Missing Persons, the training of civil police officers, campaigns to collect genetic material (DNA) from relatives of missing persons, and public communication campaigns.

Regarding the fact that fewer than half of Brazilian states have joined the National Registry, the ministry stated it “expects to integrate the remaining states in the first half of 2026.”

Brazilian favelas are home to a predominantly young, black, working-class population with concrete plans for the future. At the same time, they face persistent structural challenges in areas ranging from education to security. This reality is highlighted in the Dreams of the Favela survey, conducted by Data Favela across Brazil’s five regions, with an emphasis on Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.

The study is based on 4,471 responses collected from adults aged 18 and over, all residents of favelas, between December 11 and 16, 2025. The main objective is to invite the public and authorities to understand and address the neglect that affects life in favelas.

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Dignity and basic well-being are among the main aspirations. When projecting the future of their families into 2026, the desire for a better home leads the plans (31%), followed by the pursuit of quality healthcare (22%), children’s entry into university (12%), and food security (10%).

“We believe that mapping the thoughts, experiences, and lives of favela residents is, above all, an act of recognition and reparation. Favela is not just a ‘problem’ or a ‘statistic.’ It is also a space where collective intelligence, culture, entrepreneurship, innovation, and genuine strategies for prosperity exist,” said Cléo Santana, co-president of Data Favela.

“Listening to those who live in the favela every day shifts the center of the narrative: it’s not just about ‘talking,’ but about building data with people based on what they consider urgent, possible, and necessary. This directly impacts how public policies are designed, how companies relate to these audiences, and how the press portrays the peripheries,” she added.

Sociodemographic profile

The majority of respondents are adults aged 30 to 49 (58%). Young people aged 18 to 29 account for 25 percent, while those aged 50 and over make up 17 percent. Approximately 60 percent are women, and 75 percent of all respondents identify as heterosexual.

Approximately 80 percent of residents identify as either dark brown (49%) or black (33%). White respondents account for 15 percent.

Regarding education levels, 8 percent have completed primary education; 35 percent, secondary education; 11 percent, higher education; and 5 percent, postgraduate studies.

About 60 percent earn up to one minimum wage (BRL 1,621) per month. Following that, 27 percent earn up to BRL 3,040, while 15 percent earn above BRL 3,040.

Around three in ten reported having a formal job, 34 percent are informally employed (including those without formal contracts and those doing odd jobs), 17 percent are unemployed, and 8 percent are outside the labor force (including retirees and students).

Overall, 56 percent of respondents stated they do not receive any type of government benefit, such as cooking gas aid, retirement or pension from the National Social Security Institute (INSS), the social electricity tariff, or unemployment insurance. Among those who receive a benefit, the most cited is the income transfer program Bolsa Família/Auxílio Brasil (29%).

Territorial Infrastructure

Concerning territorial infrastructure, residents were asked about the main changes they would like to see in their communities by 2026. The most frequent responses were basic sanitation (26%), education (22%), healthcare (20%), transportation (13%), and the environment (7%).

In terms of sports, leisure, and cultural options in their communities, 35 percent of respondents rated them as bad or very bad, while 32 percent described them as average.

Challenges of race and gender

Approximately 50 percent of respondents stated that skin color impacts job opportunities, while 43 percent said it does not.

The main challenge women face within the favela is domestic violence and femicide, according to seven out of ten respondents, followed by difficulties with employment and income (43%) and support with childcare (37%).

When asked which public policies they consider most urgent for women, the most frequent responses were job placement programs (62%), educational campaigns against sexism (44%), police stations and services with 24-hour assistance (43%), and women’s health care (39%).

Public security

Favela residents were also asked which institutions they trust to protect them from violence. Responses included the Military Police (27%), Civil Police (11%), and their favela’s faction (7%). The option with the most votes, however, was “none of them” (36%).

As for police presence in the favela, researchers note a significant silence: 24 percent chose not to answer, while 25 percent said it does not affect their sense of security. Another 13 percent reported feeling fear and insecurity due to police presence, whereas 22 percent feel safer with policing in the area.

“A symbolic finding of the research is that their greatest desire is to be able to come and go freely (47%), showing that the future is still conceived from a perspective of survival and fear. Research like this acts as a megaphone, amplifying a voice the favela already has,” explains Cléo Santana, co-president of Data Favela.

Brazil reached a record number of 1,518 victims of femicide in 2025, the year in which the Femicide Law celebrated its 10th anniversary. The figures were released from the Ministry of Justice and Public Security.

In the previous year, 2024, the country had reached a record high with 1,458 victims.

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When it first came into force, the law added the crime of homicide against women to Brazil’s Penal Code under domestic violence and discrimination.

“If [the increase in cases] is happening, it is due to the state’s failure to act, because this is a preventable crime,” said Samira Bueno, executive director of the Brazilian Forum on Public Safety (FBSP), during the launch of the Human Rights Watch’s (HRW) annual report on Wednesday (Feb. 4).

The document, which looks at the human rights situation in over 100 countries, highlights domestic and gender-based violence as one of the most frequent violations in Brazil.

According to Bueno, this omission affects all spheres of power.

“In Brazil today, we are experiencing the de-funding of these policies at the municipal and state levels, which are the actors involved in the protection network, covering social work, health care, and the police at its disposal to really make a difference in the lives of these girls and women,” she noted.

Samira Bueno further pointed out that public policies to protect the lives of girls and women cannot be implemented without human as well as financial resources.

“This is a cause that many politicians like to champion – the defense of the lives of girls and women – but when they have the power to make decisions, when they sit in their chairs and have the ability to make a difference, the budget is not there,” she argued.

A pact against femicide

On Wednesday (4), in a joint initiative, the Brazilian government, the National Congress, and the Judiciary launched the National Pact: Brazil Against Femicide.

The plan outlines coordinated and permanent action between the three branches of government with the aim of preventing violence against girls and women in Brazil.

The strategy also includes the website TodosPorTodas.br, which should gather information about the pact, publicize planned actions, present reporting channels and public policies for the protection of women, and encourage the engagement of public institutions, private companies, and society.

The Brazilian government, the National Congress, and the Judiciary on Wednesday (Feb. 4) launched an initiative dubbed the National Pact: Brazil Against Femicide.

The plan outlines coordinated and permanent action between the three branches of government with the aim of preventing violence against girls and women in Brazil.

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• Brazilian Feminicide Law turns 10, impunity still a challenge.

The agreement recognizes that violence against women in the country is a structural crisis that cannot be addressed by isolated efforts.

A campaign guided by the slogan Todos Juntos por Todas (“Everyone together for the women”) was also launched, calling on society as a whole to take an active role in combating violence.

Objectives

Among the objectives of the pact are to accelerate the implementation of protective measures, strengthen networks to combat violence throughout Brazil, expand educational initiatives, and hold perpetrators accountable, thereby combating impunity.

The agreement also envisages commitments aimed at transforming the institutional culture of the three branches of government, promoting equal treatment between men and women, combating structural sexism, and incorporating responses to new challenges, such as digital violence against women.

The strategy also includes the website TodosPorTodas.br, which will gather information about the pact, publicize planned actions, present reporting channels and public policies for the protection of women, and encourage the engagement of public institutions, private companies, and society.

The platform will provide a downloadable guide with information on different types of violence, policies to combat it, and practical guidelines for responsible communication, in line with the commitment to save lives.

Committee

The pact also stipulates the creation of an Inter-institutional Management Committee, coordinated by the Brazilian president’s office. The committee should bring together representatives from the three branches of government, with permanent participation from prosecutors and public defenders, ensuring continuous monitoring, federal coordination, and transparency.

Numbers

Data from the judicial system show that, in 2025, the Brazilian courts tried an average of 42 cases of femicide per day, totaling 15,453 trials – a 17-percent increase over the previous year.

In the same period, 621,202 protective measures were granted, equivalent to 70 measures per hour, as per figures from the National Council of Justice.

Ligue 180, the women’s assistance hotline, recorded an average of 425 complaints per day in 2025.

Changes

Below are the main changes planned by the government with the new pact:

• Faster protective measures that really work – less time between reporting and effective protection for women. The idea is that judicial decisions, police, social services, and shelters will act in a coordinated manner, without buck-passing.
   
• Three branches of government looking at the same case – the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, as well as oversight bodies, share information and monitor cases in an integrated manner, from the request for help all the way to the outcome, reducing failures that currently put women at risk.
   
• More prevention before violence turns into death – ongoing campaigns, rights education, training for public officials, and actions to change the culture of violence – including involving men as part of the solution.
   
• Faster accountability for perpetrators – swifter proceedings, less impunity, and firmer responses to those who violate protective measures or commit violence.
   
• Special attention to those most at risk – focus on black, indigenous, and quilombola women, women in the periphery and rural areas, women with disabilities, young and elderly women, and women living in remote or more vulnerable areas.
   
• Response to new forms of violence – tackling digital violence, such as harassment, threats, and online exposure, which often precede physical assaults.
   
• Public reporting of results – periodic reports, targets, and accountability.

Brazil still ranks first among the nations with the highest number of murders of transgender people, with 80 recorded in 2025. The figures come from the latest edition of a dossier produced by the country’s National Association of Transvestites and Transgender People (ANTRA), released this week.

The result represents a drop of 34 percent from the previous year’s 122 murders – but does not remove Brazil from the top of the ranking, a position it has held for almost 18 years.

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The data are the reflection of an entire system that normalizes oppression against transgender people, said ANTRA’s President Bruna Benevides.

“These are not isolated deaths. They reveal a population exposed to extreme violence from an early age – lives marked by social exclusion, racism, institutional neglect, and ongoing psychological suffering,” she said.

Violence

The data for the study stem from the daily monitoring of news stories, direct complaints made to trans protection organizations, and public records. In Benevides’ view, this situation in itself casts light on a form of violence – if society does not do this work, the deaths simply do not exist in the eyes of the government.

In 2025, Ceará and Minas Gerais were the Brazilian states with the highest number of murders – eight each. Overall, violence remains concentrated in the Northeast region, which registered 38 murders, followed by the Southeast with 17, the Central-West with 12, the North with seven, and the South with six.

Another survey, also conducted by the association, covering from 2017 to 2025, showed the state of São Paulo as the most lethal, with 155 deaths. The study revealed that most of the victims are trans women, predominantly young, with the highest incidence in the 18–35 age group, with black and pardo people being the most affected.

The dossier also points out that, even though murders have decreased, there has been a surge in the number of attempted homicides. This means that the 34-percent drop from 2024 does not actually translate into a decline in violence.

In its analysis, the association says this scenario is explained by a set of factors such as underreporting, distrust of security and justice institutions, reduced media coverage, and the absence of specific public policies to combat transphobia – crimes of prejudice, discrimination, and hostility directed at transgender people.

Public policies 

In addition to the diagnosis, the dossier lists a number of recommendations to Brazilian public authorities, the justice system, public security, and human rights institutions, calling for dialogue and concrete proposals aimed at breaking the cycle of impunity and deprivation that marks the reality of transgender Brazilians.

Bruna Benevides, also an author of the dossier, believes that the association’s report “is an embarrassment to the state,” educates society, and breaks the silence.

“We must recognize that policies to protect women need to be accessible and available to transgender women, for instance. We need to think about making what already exists accessible and implementing what has not yet been properly achieved. There is a lot of production, including data, but a lack of action on the part of decision-makers,” she added.

The ninth edition of the report, entitled Dossiê: Assassinatos e Violências Contra Travestis e Transexuais Brasileiras (“Dossier: Murders and Violence Against Brazilian Transvestites and Transsexuals”) will be presented at a ceremony in the auditorium of the Ministry of Human Rights headquarters, with official delivery to representatives of the Brazilian federal government.

Violent deaths

The data released Monday reinforce the scenario outlined on January 18 by the Gay Group of Bahia (GGB) in the Observatory of Violent Deaths of LGBT+ People in Brazil, which is updated annually.

The figures – which cover not only trans people but also gay, lesbian, and bisexual people, among other groups – show that 257 violent deaths were documented in 2025, including 204 homicides, 20 suicides, 17 robberies followed by death, and 16 other cases, involving being hit by a vehicle or drowning, for example.

Compared to 2024, when 291 cases were recorded, a decrease of 11.7 percent was observed. However, this still translates to one death every 34 hours in the country.

Also according to the GGB, Brazil continued to be the country with the highest number of homicides and suicides of LGBT+ people worldwide last year – followed by Mexico with 40 and the US with 10.

*Trainee under the supervision of Mariana Tokarnia

A 2025 report by Brazil’s Ministry of Labor and Employment reveals that 2,772 people were rescued from situations analogous to slavery that year. For the first time, most of the workers – 68 percent – were employed in city centers.

“Contemporary slave labor is not restricted to a specific economic activity. Even though most rescues traditionally happen in rural areas, in 2025 the number of workers rescued in urban areas was higher,” said Shakti Borela, general coordinator of inspection for the eradication of slave labor and human trafficking.

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The construction sector saw the highest number of rescues, with 601 cases in masonry work and another 186 in building construction. Other activities with a high number of rescues were public administration, with 304 cases; coffee cultivation, with 184; and the extraction and crushing of stones and other materials, with 126.

According to the ministry, most of the rescued workers are aged 30 through 39, are male, and have low levels of education. Among those rescued, 83 percent self-identified as black or pardo.

In the view of Dercylete Loureiro, director of the Labor Inspection Department, this profile reveals trajectories marked by historical vulnerabilities, which have exposed this segment of the population to conditions analogous to slavery for decades.

Rights

After the crackdowns, all workers were able to access their legal right to an insurance benefit for rescued workers, paid in three installments equal to one minimum wage, and were referred to social welfare services. Over BRL 9 million was said to have been paid to the victims.

In total, tax auditors carried out 1,594 operations to combat slave-like labor in 2025, which, in addition to rescues, also ensured labor rights for more than 48 thousand workers.