The Women’s Assistance 180 hotline - operated by the Ministry of Women - recorded 1,088,900 calls in 2025, nearly 3,000 per day, a 45 percent increase compared to 2024. Of the total, 155,111 were reports of violence against women, up 17.4 percent.

Over the year, reports of violence averaged 425 per day.

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Other calls involved requests for information about the national network for the protection of women, as well as public policies and campaigns.

Data from the 180 hotline for 2025 were released on Wednesday (Apr. 15).

Domestic violence

Of the total 155,111 reports of violence against women, nearly 70 percent of assaults occurred in a domestic setting, with 40.76 percent taking place at the victim’s residence and 28.58 percent in a home shared with the suspect.

The perpetrator’s home accounted for 5.39 percent (8,356) of the reports of violence on the 180 hotline.

Another 4,587 reports (2.96%) involved incidents of violence on public streets.

Reports also extend to the online environment, accounting for 2.96 percent of recorded cases of violence against women. The survey shows that in 2025, two-thirds (66.3%, or 102,770) of the reports were filed by the victims themselves, while another 26,200 (16.9%) were submitted anonymously.

Complaints from third parties, such as family members, friends, and neighbors of the victim, accounted for 16.8 percent (26,033). Another 53 reports were made by the perpetrators themselves.

Pattern of abuse

The data also highlight the persistence of violence against women in Brazil:

• 20.91 percent (32,435) of women report having experienced violence for more than a year;
• 10.15 percent (15,740) of reports indicate abuse that began recently, within the past 30 days.

Regarding the frequency of assaults, 31.86 percent of reports (49,424 cases) involve daily violence.

The report also shows that 8.10 percent of assaults (12,561 cases) occur weekly and 1.82 percent (2,817 cases) monthly.

Another 17.39 percent of victims (26,980) reported occasional assaults, while 10.50 percent (16,288) reported a single incident.

In 25.38 percent of reports (39,367), no information was provided on the frequency of the violence.

Victim profile

Structural violence against women in Brazil disproportionately affects black and brown women, according to data on the race or color of victims in hotline reports.

Black and brown women account for more than 43.16 percent of reported incidents of violence, with 51,907 reports involving brown women (33.46 percent) and 15,046 involving black (9.70 percent).

White women account for about one-third (32.54 percent) of the reports recorded by 180 hotline, with a total of 50,474 cases.

Asian women appear in 807 reports (0.52%), and indigenous women in 488 cases (0.31%).

In 36,389 cases (23.45%), no information on race or ethnicity was provided.

Age group

Although violence against women affects all age groups, the data indicate a peak in vulnerability among women aged 26 to 44. This group accounts for 57,673 cases, equivalent to 37.19 percent of all reports.

The highest incidence occurs among victims aged 40 to 44, with 15,117 reports (9.75%).

Among those affected, women aged 35 to 39 accounted for 14,594 cases (9.41%), followed by those aged 30 to 34, with 14,173 reports (9.14%), and those aged 26 to 29, with 13,789 cases (8.89%).

Types of violence

The Brazilian government notes that, under the methodology of the women’s assistance hotline, a single report may involve more than one type of violence, which increases the total number of cases recorded, as a woman may be subjected to multiple forms of abuse by the same perpetrator.

Among the most common forms of violence, psychological violence tops the list, accounting for nearly half of all reported cases, with more than 339,000 incidents (49.9%). Physical violence follows, with more than 104,000 incidents (15.3%).

The report also details other serious forms of violence during the period:

• property-related violence, with 36,938 cases (5.4%);
• sexual violence, with 20,534 reports (3.0%), of which 8,172 were classified as sexual harassment (1.2%);
• kidnapping or unlawful detention, with 2,621 cases (0.4 %).

Vicarious violence

Data from the 180 hotline reveal that, in 2025, 7,064 reports of vicarious violence were recorded, representing 4.55 percent of the total 155,111 reports.

This practice occurs when an abuser uses children, relatives, or close associates to inflict psychological suffering on the woman.

In April this year, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed into law a bill that classifies vicarious violence as a form of domestic and family violence and includes it in the list of heinous crimes, punishable by up to 40 years in prison.

The National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB) published an official statement on Monday (Apr. 13) in support of Pope Leo XIV, after he received criticism from US President Donald Trump.

The document serves as an institutional response in support of the pontiff’s stance on the escalation of armed conflicts in the Middle East. On Saturday (11), during a special prayer vigil at St. Peter’s Basilica, the pope called on world leaders to refrain from any “show of force” and to “sit down at the table of dialogue and mediation.”

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The CNBB noted in a statement that Pope Leo XIV’s authority is guided by “fidelity to the Gospel.” The Brazilian conference further maintains that Leo XIV continually works to defend human dignity and promote dialogue for conflict resolution. 

“The Pope’s spiritual and moral authority is not guided by the logic of political confrontation, but by fidelity to the Gospel, which continually raises its voice in defense of peace, human dignity, and dialogue among peoples,” the text reads.

The statement is signed by the leaders of the organization – CNBB President Cardinal Jaime Spengler; first and second vice presidents, Bishop João Justino de Medeiros and Bishop Paulo Jackson; and Secretary-General Bishop Ricardo Hoepers.

Trump

On Sunday (12), in a statement to the press, Trump described Pope Leo XIV as “weak on crime and terrible at foreign policy,” as well as “a very liberal person.” Leo XIV is the first US pope and assumed leadership of the Catholic Church in May 2025. 

The President of the US stated that he does not like the Pope’s stance on nuclear weapons.

“We don’t want a pope that says crime is OK in our cities. I don’t like it. I’m not a big fan of Pope Leo,” the president said.

The US president also posted a photo montage generated by artificial intelligence that depicts him as a divine figure healing a sick man. The post was made on Sunday (12) and deleted on Monday (13). 

On Monday morning, Pope Leo declared he was not afraid of the Trump administration or of proclaiming the Gospel message aloud. The statement came in response to questions from journalists who were with him aboard the papal plane during the first leg of his apostolic journey to the African continent.