An operation launched by the Federal Police on Wednesday (Dec. 10) is investigating a criminal organization responsible for luring and trafficking women in Brazil for sexual exploitation in Europe.

Four people were arrested during the operation and eight search-and-seizure warrants were executed in cities in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. In addition, two arrests were made in the Spanish city of Álava with the help of Interpol.

Notícias relacionadas:

• In Brasília, women rally against violence and government inaction.

According to the police, the criminals lured women in Brazil, arranged for their transportation abroad, and subjected them to threats and degrading conditions of sexual exploitation in Spain.

The probe was conducted in cooperation with Spain’s National Police through Ameripol’s Specialized Center for Combating Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling.

“Corrective rape, slaps, and stabbings – they want to keep us silent, but not even death can silence us. Women alive!” With these words, social worker Elisandra “Lis” Martins ended her speech at the battle of rhymes in downtown Brasília, at the Levante Mulheres Vivas (“Women Alive Uprising”), held in several state capitals across Brazil on Sunday (Dec. 7).

Under heavy rain, thousands of people joined the protest in the Federal District to denounce violence against women, femicide, and the government’s failure to protect and prevent gender-based violence.

The protest was called by dozens of women’s organizations after a series of high-profile cases of femicide shocked Brazil in recent days. In Brasília, activists gave speeches and cultural performances took place at the TV Tower in the city center.

Thirty-year-old rapper Elisandra “Lis” Martins is a member of the Batalha das Gurias (“Gals’ Battle”) collective, of the Frente Nacional de Mulheres no Hip-Hop (“National Front of Women in Hip-Hop”), and attended the event to denounce gender violence in the hope of provoking a reaction from the government. 

“It’s violence based on gender, violence based on race / We keep trying to live, but we’re out of space / In the job market we’re left in the underworld / And to live we’re given the underworld / First rejection, then depression / We try to breathe – decompression” she rhymed. Lis hails from Itapoã, a district in Brasília some 10 km from Brazil’s government headquarters.

The rally was also joined by federal officials – including six female ministers and federal representatives, First Lady Janja Lula da Silva, and various popular leaders.

On Sunday, women’s protests were also held in other capitals – such as Rio de Janeiro, where hundreds gathered at Copacabana Beach, and São Paulo, where the crowd convened on Paulista Avenue.

State violence

In the federal capital, protesters repeatedly condemned the state and the inability of institutions to protect women victims of violence and to prevent these crimes.

Vanessa Hacon, who holds a PhD in Social Sciences, is an activist with the Mães na Luta (“Mothers in Struggle”) collective, which offers counseling to women victims of violence. She claims that the justice system is negligent in its treatment of women and often blames the victims themselves.

“Women leave home to escape domestic violence and end up in the justice system, where procedural violence is preposterous, with judges doing close to nothing,” Dr. Hacon said.

“There’s a sexist ideology in the courts that invalidates complaints through vulgar gender stereotypes – ‘This woman is resentful,’ ‘She can’t get over her former partner,’ ‘She’s vindictive.’ Women’s complaints need to be taken seriously, rather than dismissed on vague grounds,” she went on to argue.

Patriarchy

Chanting slogans such as “Feminism is revolution” and “Women alive,” the protesters highlighted that the patriarchal way in which society has been structured over the centuries contributes to an “epidemic” of femicides in Brazil.

“Patriarchy is when society is based on the logic that men – the male gender – have power, and that the power is centralized in them, that it starts with them,” said Leonor Costa, an activist with Movimento Negro Unificado (“Unified Black Movement”).

She told Agência Brasil that the “absurd” cases of femicide in recent days have sparked outrage among women nationwide.

“I hope these demonstrations can raise awareness in society, showing the danger that women face in their daily lives and, more than that, raise awareness in the government. We must have public policies put in place to curb this level of violence,” she declared.

In her view, education is key to changing this culture. “We need education policies that can raise awareness so that society can understand that this is a national problem – not merely a problem I face as a woman,” she added.

The role of men and the public budget
 

Most of the protesters were women, but a large number of men also took part in the demonstration, and the leaders in attendance stressed their role in the fight against gender-based violence, as writer, filmmaker, and retired teacher Renata Parreira explained.

“We need to call on men to discuss and reflect on their toxic masculinity. We need to bring them on board as allies in this fight so we can change the way society is structured,” she said.

In the opinion of Parreira, who is a member of Levante Feminista contra o Feminicídio, Lesbocídio, e Transfeminicídio (“Feminist Uprising Against the Killing of Women, Lesbians, and Trans Women”), the public budget needs to be increased if gender-based violence is to be combated.

“Without a public budget, without qualified staff, without economic and social research indicators, there is no way to develop effective public policies for the prevention of violence against women. We need to transform reality through education because culture is not fixed, it is dynamic and can be changed,” she added.

An economic issue

The economic situation faced by women was another factor mentioned as contributing to gender-based violence.

Entrepreneur Aline Karina Dias, 36, believes that financial independence is the key to emancipating a large number of women from cycles of violence and exclusion.

“We see entrepreneurship and financial independence as tools for women’s emancipation and survival. Many women who are killed suffer this kind of violence because of social issues, such as lack of housing and employment,” she said.

Aline Karina runs Sebas Turística, a community-based Afro-tourism project that promotes tourism in São Sebastião, another district in Brasília, about 17 km from the country’s chief government buildings.

Behind the demonstration 
 

The countrywide mobilization was called after a wave of recent femicides shook Brazil.

In late November, Tainara Souza Santos had her legs mutilated after being run over and dragged for about a kilometer while still trapped under the vehicle. The driver, Douglas Alves da Silva, was arrested and charged with the crime.

That same week, two employees of a federal center for technological education in Rio de Janeiro were shot dead by an employee of the institution, who then killed himself.

On Friday (5), the charred body of Army Corporal Maria de Lourdes Freire Matos, 25, was found in Brasília. The crime is being investigated as femicide after 21-year-old soldier Kelvin Barros da Silva confessed to the murder.

According to Brazil’s National Map of Gender Violence, approximately 3.7 million Brazilian women experienced one or more episodes of domestic violence in the last 12 months.

In 2024, 1,459 women were victims of femicide in Brazil. On average, around four women were murdered every day in 2024 because of their gender. In 2025, Brazil has recorded over 1,180 femicides.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva spoke on Tuesday (Dec. 2) about recent femicide cases that shocked Brazil, urging men to take responsibility for changing the culture of gender-based violence in society. He made the statement during an event in Ipojuca, in the metropolitan region of Recife, which marked the launch of works to expand the operational capacity of the Abreu e Lima Refinery (Rnest).

“I wanted to address us men. What goes on in the mind of this animal, considered the most intelligent species on Earth, to cause so much violence? I woke up on Sunday (Nov. 30) and during breakfast, Janja (the first lady) started crying. At night, while watching Fantástico (on TV Globo), she cried again. Yesterday (Monday), she cried once more,” said the president.

Lula said that the first lady asked him to take a “tougher stance” against violence by men toward women. He cited some of the most tragic incidents of violence recorded in recent days.

“This week, a man grabbed two pistols and fired them at his wife. Another killed his pregnant wife, who had three children, and set their house on fire. Yet another ran over his wife and dragged her for a kilometer. She will survive, but with both legs amputated. The question I ask is: does the Brazilian Penal Code have a penalty capable of bringing justice to an irrational animal like that?” he questioned.

Two of the cases cited by Lula occurred in the city of São Paulo. In one, a man fled after firing at least six times with two weapons at his ex-partner in a pastry shop where she worked, in the northern zone of the city, on Monday morning (Dec. 1). He did not accept the end of the relationship. The other case, also an attempted femicide, was committed by Douglas Alves da Silva, 26, who ran over and dragged Tainara Souza Santos, 31, on Saturday morning (Nov. 29), also in the northern zone of São Paulo. She had both legs amputated after being dragged under the vehicle for about a kilometer and remains hospitalized.

In Recife, a 39-year-old man was arrested on the spot on Saturday, suspected of starting a fire that killed his pregnant wife and the couple’s four children.

“Each of us men needs to be a teacher to one another. Each of us has to educate our children, and each of us has to educate our partners. If you’re not happy with your partner, please be a grown man - don’t hit her, just separate from her. If she doesn’t like you, she isn’t obligated to stay with you; let her live her life. Don’t imprison that person, don’t be cruel, don’t be ignorant. Because when you think about it, there’s no punishment for a man like that - even death is too mild. There needs to be a national movement of men against the animals who beat, abuse, and mistreat women,” Lula continued.

Femicide is the homicide of a woman committed because of her gender, characterized by domestic or family violence, contempt, or discrimination against the female condition. It is considered the most extreme expression of gender violence and often occurs as the culmination of a history of aggression, motivated by hatred, dehumanization, or a sense of ownership over the victim. In Brazil, it is classified as a heinous crime and, when treated as an aggravating circumstance in homicide, carries a prison sentence of twelve to thirty years.

Since January, 207 women have been killed in the state of São Paulo alone as victims of femicide. In October, there were 22 victims of this type of crime and another 5,838 women who suffered intentional bodily harm.

Male awareness

Also in his speech, the president recalled being raised by his mother, along with five siblings, and taught never to act violently toward women. He called on men to demonstrate character, dignity, and respect, and renewed his appeal for a collective effort by men to confront gender violence.

“From now on, I am part of a movement of men who will begin raising awareness in this country that men were not born to beat women, to rape children, or to commit violence. Raise your hand if you are with me in this fight. We are going to have a strong campaign,” he emphasized.

Refinery

Considered Petrobras’ most modern refinery, Rnest will receive approximately BRL 12 billion in investments to complete processing unit 2 and carry out additional maintenance on processing unit 1, which is expected to add 130,000 barrels per day to the plant’s processing capacity. The refinery is estimated to reach 260,000 barrels per day by the end of the project in 2029. According to the state-owned company, it will supply 17 percent of the country’s diesel demand and will also produce gasoline, LPG, and naphtha.

The climate crisis, marked among other consequences by rising temperatures, has also affected the Brazilian prison system, which is characterized by overcrowding, precarious infrastructure, and a lack of water and ventilation, exposing prisoners to unsanitary conditions and serious human rights violations.

The warning appears in a technical note from the Federal Public Defender’s Office (DPU), which identifies the risks of thermal violence as inhuman and degrading treatment in Brazilian prisons.

The document also proposes concrete measures to address this situation.

Prepared in the context of the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP30 in Belém, northern Brazil, the statement reaffirms the DPU’s institutional commitment to defending incarcerated individuals and seeks to promote recognition of thermal violence in prisons, “which is part of the multiple dimensions of environmental inequality/racism.”

“The DPU aims to contribute to building a national climate justice agenda that includes the Brazilian prison system,” the text emphasizes.

Thermal violence

Thermal violence is characterized by prolonged and involuntary exposure to extreme temperatures, compromising the health and lives of those in custody.

The Public Defender’s Office statement underscores that understanding this concept is essential for analyzing the situation of the Brazilian prison system in the context of the climate crisis.

“Excessive heat and intense cold compromise the physical and mental integrity of people deprived of their liberty, which constitutes an affront to the Federal Constitution, which prohibits torture and inhuman or degrading treatment, as well as the use of cruel punishments,” the document states.

Unhealthy conditions

The Public Defender’s Office also notes that “the lack of adequate ventilation, access to potable water, and spaces for sunbathing, combined with the high occupancy density in the cells, intensifies the effects of so-called thermal violence.”

Overcrowding

Data from 2024 from the National Secretariat of Penal Policies (Senappen) show that Brazil had approximately 1,386 prison establishments, including federal units, with an estimated total capacity of 489,991 places.

In that year, however, there were 668,570 people held in physical cells, resulting in a deficit of more than 173,000 places.

Measures

The Public Defender’s Office’s technical note outlines the necessary measures to be adopted, including:

• development of state-level schedules for conducting thermal assessments;
• suspension of architectural projects lacking prior studies on thermal variations;
• review of regulations on architectural and infrastructure guidelines for penal establishments;
• provision of clothing necessary for thermal comfort at no cost;
• implementation of air-conditioning measures; and
• provision of potable water suited to the climate of each region.

Caravans from different parts of Brazil will hold a large march this Tuesday (Nov. 25) in Brasília: the 2nd Black Women’s March, whose theme is Reparation and Good Living. The event is expected to bring together 1 million people.

Organized by the National Committee of the Black Women’s March, the mobilization seeks to put the basic rights of this segment of the population on the agenda — such as housing, employment, and security — as well as a dignified life, free from violence, and reparations.

The march takes place in the month that celebrates National Black Awareness Day, on November 20.

It occurs ten years after the first march, held in November 2015, when more than 100,000 black women gathered in Brazil’s capital to protest against racism, violence targeting black youth, domestic violence, and femicide, which disproportionately affect them, and to demand the right to live well rather than merely survive.

This year, black women will march for the promotion of social mobility, considering the damage left by centuries of slavery, which has become an obstacle to the economic development of this population.

Space for articulation

The 2025 march extends beyond Brazil’s borders. To strengthen global coordination, the demonstration will bring together black women in the diaspora (descendants of Africans forced into displacement) and from the African continent who are committed to building a future free from the violence imposed by racism, colonialism, and patriarchy.

Black leaders from Ecuador are in Brasília to take part in the 2025 March. According to the Ecuadorian group, the goal is to deepen and expand awareness of the struggles of Afro-Latin, Afro-Caribbean, and diaspora women.

Ines Morales Lastra, an activist from San Lorenzo (Ecuador) and a member of the Afro-Ecuadorian Confederation of Northern Esmeraldas (Cane), explains that they defend the collective rights and ancestral territories of the Afro-Ecuadorian people and that they traveled to Brasília to join the women’s struggle.

“We will march to amplify the strength of our voice and our demands, because these are the voices of our grandmothers,” Lastra stated.

According to the Ministry of Racial Equality, women and girls will total 60.6 million people in Brazil, divided between black (11.30 million) and brown (49.30 million). Together, they represent about 28 percent of the country’s population.

See here the official schedule of the 2nd Black Women’s March and the Week for Reparation and Good Living, which will run until Wednesday (26).