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Brazil’s Supreme Court expands law aimed at violence against women

Brazil’s Supreme Court has decided to expand the scope of the Maria da Penha Law, enacted in 2006 to combat violence against women. Under the ruling, announced on Wednesday (Aug. 19), judges must apply the law to combat all forms of gender-based violence against women. Prior to the ruling, the law applied only to cases of domestic violence, family violence, or violence in intimate relationships. Notícias relacionadas:Brazilian laws on violence against women drive long-term social change.Women’s suffrage in Brazil a victory over historical misogyny.Half of Brazilian women claim to have faced violence from partners.The court also ruled that the piece of legislation must be enforced during the campaigning period ahead of the October general elections to combat gender-based political violence against female candidates. Based on this decision, it will be up to the Electoral Court to decide whether to grant protective measures. The Maria da Penha Law establishes various protective measures – such as removing the abuser from the home, prohibiting the abuser from approaching the victim, requiring the use of an electronic ankle monitor, and ordering pretrial detention. Overturned ruling The Supreme Court unanimously overturned a decision by a Minas Gerais state court that had denied protective measures on the grounds that there was no intimate relationship between a woman and her neighbor. According to the case file, the neighbor believed he was in a romantic relationship with the woman and began threatening her. After being constantly harassed by the defendant, the woman began suffering from anxiety and panic attacks. In one of the incidents, the neighbor said he would kill her if she did not have a relationship with him. The opinion of the chief justice, Edson Fachin, prevailed in the ruling. He stated that violence against women must be understood as a structural phenomenon and the result of historical inequality between men and women. “Conventional protection is not limited to the emotional bond between the perpetrator and the victim, but extends to any interaction in which the violence is gender-based,” he stated. During the hearing, Justice Flávio Dino argued that the law should also be applied during electoral campaigns to protect female candidates. “Many female candidates face the cruel choice between protecting their children and their homes or pursuing their calling to public life,” he noted. The only woman on the court, Justice Cármen Lúcia said the law was designed to protect women everywhere. “Those who love do not kill. Femicide is committed – the murder of women is committed as a matter of power. Men believe they have the power of life and death over us,” she added.