Brazil: Domestic violence affects four in 10 women

Annual Report on Women

Source: Inesc (in Portuguese)

Brazil’s Annual Report on Women, released this month by the government, shows that 43.1 per cent of women have suffered some kind of violence in their own homes. The percentage falls to 12.3 per cent in the case of men. “The Annual Report is essential for the political struggle in favour of women’s rights”, said Eliana Gracia, expert of the Institute for Socioeconomic Studies (Inesc, one of the focal points of Social Watch in Brazil).

The report, prepared by the Secretariat for Women’s Policies and the Department of Statistics and Socioeconomic Studies (Dieese), includes among other data, the information collected by the 2009 National Survey of Households (Pnad) carried out by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).

“The Annual Report is essential for the political struggle in favour of women’s rights, since it strengthens the arguments of the organizations” working for such purpose, stated Gracia, of Inesc.

The study reveals certain shyness on the part of the State to fight violence against women. “More energy and public investment” are needed, added the expert of Inesc. “Legislation addresses this issue in a comprehensive and effective way, but it has not yet become a part of women’s daily lives”, concluded Gracia.

According to the Annual Report, in Brazil, 25.9 per cent of women who were ill-treated both inside and outside the home had suffered these aggressions from a partner or former partner.

Calls for help to the Women’s Assistance Centre have increased 16 times between 2006 and 2010, from 46,000 to 734,000, according to the Secretariat for Women’s Policies.

The Annual Report also gathers statistics and information about the situation of women in the labour market, the health system and their participation in decision-making, among other aspects. The study aims to support the implementation of public policies as well as the actions of institutions, social organizations and local and state governments.

More information

Anuário das Mulheres (in Portuguese)