While signing the decree establishing the National Pact: Brazil Against Femicide on Wednesday (Feb. 4), President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva argued that combating femicide and all forms of violence against women should be the responsibility of society – but above all of men.

“It’s not enough not to be an aggressor. We must also fight to ensure there are no more attacks. Every man in this country has a mission to fulfill,” he said during a ceremony at the Planalto presidential palace.

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• Brazilian Feminicide Law turns 10, impunity still a challenge.
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The pact outlines coordinated and permanent action among the three branches of government with the aim of preventing violence against girls and women in Brazil. The novelty, Lula said, is that for the first time they are assuming that the responsibility for defending women is not only women’s.

“We’re telling the Brazilian trade union movement that this is a topic for factory gates and workers’ assemblies. We’re telling congressmen and congresswomen that this is a topic for all their speeches,” he said.

“We’re trying to raise awareness among children, because it’s the duty of our teachers, as it’s a topic that spans from nursery school to university. This is an opportunity to create a new civilization, a civilization in which it’s not gender that makes the difference, but rather behavior and respect,” he added.

The ceremony was opened by First Lady Janja da Silva. She read a story narrated by a woman who was assaulted by her boyfriend, beaten in public, but who did not get help from people who witnessed the assault.

“We are all committed to creating a society where women can live in peace. We want you, men, in this fight, by our side,” she said.

Brazilian judiciary and legislative

Brazil’s Supreme Court Chief Justice Edson Fachin, argued that the changes should not be limited to the letter of the law. “We must act on several fronts to prevent, hold accountable, and protect [women],” he declared.

“Changing the law is important, but it is not enough. Changing the law must be accompanied by a change of hearts and minds in the state, in society, and most importantly, in families. This change begins when we start to act,” he went on to say.

The judiciary, he pointed out, signed this pact “with a sense of urgency and hope, committing itself fully to the initiative.” “True peace is not born of fear and silence, but flourishes when there is protection, freedom, and dignity,” he concluded.

Lower house speaker Hugo Motta noted that Brazil ended 2025 with an average of four women murdered per day.

“It is inconceivable that we allow these numbers to continue. This action [as outlined in the pact] cannot be delayed,” he said, stating that the legislative branch will work to toughen laws in order to punish “those who act in this way, through violence against women.”

“You can count on our priority in this agenda to change this reality,” he concluded.

Senate President Davi Alcolumbre said that Brazilian institutions are united in purposes such as this. “Femicide is not just statistics, but an open wound in Brazilian society,” which needs to be treated as a problem of the state, not of the government.

“[Femicide] is the cruelest side of violence that affects the lives of thousands every day. And the pact is, above all, a commitment between institutions and a declaration of responsibility by the Brazilian state, which reaffirms one of its fundamental duties to combat femicide with the utmost rigor, with absolute priority, and with permanent action,” he stated.

The Brazilian government, the National Congress, and the Judiciary on Wednesday (Feb. 4) launched an initiative dubbed the National Pact: Brazil Against Femicide.

The plan outlines coordinated and permanent action between the three branches of government with the aim of preventing violence against girls and women in Brazil.

Notícias relacionadas:

• Brazilian Feminicide Law turns 10, impunity still a challenge.

The agreement recognizes that violence against women in the country is a structural crisis that cannot be addressed by isolated efforts.

A campaign guided by the slogan Todos Juntos por Todas (“Everyone together for the women”) was also launched, calling on society as a whole to take an active role in combating violence.

Objectives

Among the objectives of the pact are to accelerate the implementation of protective measures, strengthen networks to combat violence throughout Brazil, expand educational initiatives, and hold perpetrators accountable, thereby combating impunity.

The agreement also envisages commitments aimed at transforming the institutional culture of the three branches of government, promoting equal treatment between men and women, combating structural sexism, and incorporating responses to new challenges, such as digital violence against women.

The strategy also includes the website TodosPorTodas.br, which will gather information about the pact, publicize planned actions, present reporting channels and public policies for the protection of women, and encourage the engagement of public institutions, private companies, and society.

The platform will provide a downloadable guide with information on different types of violence, policies to combat it, and practical guidelines for responsible communication, in line with the commitment to save lives.

Committee

The pact also stipulates the creation of an Inter-institutional Management Committee, coordinated by the Brazilian president’s office. The committee should bring together representatives from the three branches of government, with permanent participation from prosecutors and public defenders, ensuring continuous monitoring, federal coordination, and transparency.

Numbers

Data from the judicial system show that, in 2025, the Brazilian courts tried an average of 42 cases of femicide per day, totaling 15,453 trials – a 17-percent increase over the previous year.

In the same period, 621,202 protective measures were granted, equivalent to 70 measures per hour, as per figures from the National Council of Justice.

Ligue 180, the women’s assistance hotline, recorded an average of 425 complaints per day in 2025.

Changes

Below are the main changes planned by the government with the new pact:

• Faster protective measures that really work – less time between reporting and effective protection for women. The idea is that judicial decisions, police, social services, and shelters will act in a coordinated manner, without buck-passing.
   
• Three branches of government looking at the same case – the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, as well as oversight bodies, share information and monitor cases in an integrated manner, from the request for help all the way to the outcome, reducing failures that currently put women at risk.
   
• More prevention before violence turns into death – ongoing campaigns, rights education, training for public officials, and actions to change the culture of violence – including involving men as part of the solution.
   
• Faster accountability for perpetrators – swifter proceedings, less impunity, and firmer responses to those who violate protective measures or commit violence.
   
• Special attention to those most at risk – focus on black, indigenous, and quilombola women, women in the periphery and rural areas, women with disabilities, young and elderly women, and women living in remote or more vulnerable areas.
   
• Response to new forms of violence – tackling digital violence, such as harassment, threats, and online exposure, which often precede physical assaults.
   
• Public reporting of results – periodic reports, targets, and accountability.