Brazilians take to the streets calling attention to a crisis of violence against women

December 9, 2025

In early November 2025, thousands of Brazilian women participated in "Rise Women Alive" marches across multiple cities to protest the normalization of violence against women and demand action on the country's femicide crisis. The demonstrations were sparked by several recent high-profile cases, including a woman who lost both legs after being dragged by a car, a workplace shooting that killed two women, and multiple domestic violence incidents resulting in deaths and severe injuries. Despite Brazil having progressive legislation against gender-based violence, including laws passed in 2006, 2015, and 2024 that establish severe penalties for femicide, violence against women continues to escalate, with data showing four women killed daily due to their gender.

Who is affected

Women and girls throughout Brazil who are victims of violence, harassment, and femicide
The 1,492 women killed by femicide in 2024 and 3,870 victims of attempted femicide
Specific victims mentioned: the woman who lost both legs in São Paulo, two women killed in Rio de Janeiro, the army corporal killed in Brasília, the woman burned in Minas Gerais, and the woman killed on a hiking trail in Florianópolis
Partners and ex-partners who commit 80% of femicides
A five-year-old boy who witnessed his father attacking his mother
Brazilian society broadly, including public security systems and civil organizations

What action is being taken

Thousands of women are marching in Brazilian cities under the "Rise Women Alive" protest movement
Police are investigating multiple cases, including examining potential misogynistic motivations in the Rio de Janeiro workplace shooting
President Lula is publicly calling for combating femicide as "a job for all, especially men"
The Brazilian Forum of Public Security is gathering and analyzing data on violence against women through state systems

Why it matters

This crisis represents a fundamental threat to women's right to life in Brazil, where violence against women has become dangerously normalized despite progressive legislation. The paradox highlighted by protestors—that women must march simply to demand their right to survive—reveals a deep structural failure in Brazilian society. With four women killed daily for gender-related reasons and all forms of violence against women increasing rather than decreasing, experts warn the country faces an "acute growth of serious physical violence" that could result in death at any moment. The gap between improved laws and persistent violence demonstrates that legal frameworks alone cannot protect women without comprehensive implementation, prevention strategies, and societal mobilization involving public agents, civil society, schools, churches, and scholars to dismantle the structures sustaining this chronic cycle of violence.

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: Global Voices