Brazil Survey Finds 3.7 Million Women Suffered Domestic Violence in Past Year

Overview

• The survey reports that 71% of recent assaults had witnesses, in 70% of those cases children were present, and in 40% no one intervened.
• Victims mainly turned to personal networks—58% family, 53% religious communities, 52% friends—while only 28% filed at Women's Police Stations and 11% contacted the 180 hotline.
• Knowledge of the Maria da Penha law remains limited, with 67% saying they know little and 11% unaware, especially among older and lower-income women.
• Violence is often persistent, with 58% reporting incidents ongoing for more than a year, based on 21,641 phone interviews conducted nationwide between May and July.
• Parallel data underscore the stakes, as a UN report estimates about 50,000 women were killed by partners or relatives in 2024 and Rio Grande do Norte logged 17 femicides in 2025.