Domestic Violence in Brazil: Examining Obstacles and Approaches to Promote Legislative Reform

This article provides an overview on the legal and social changes relating to domestic violence in Brazil, occurring as a result of international human rights law and the women's movement in Brazil. The author uses a case study of Brazil to exemplify how international bodies and international law can be used to assist in improving women's rights. She provides a discussion of the Brazil's treatment of domestic violence, as well as the obstacles to women's rights, prior to its CEDAW ratification. The article also discusses how women's rights groups in Brazil used CEDAW, the UN and the Inter- American Commission of Human Rights to pressure for legal change and support. In particular, it looks in-depth at the establishment of women's police stations and Brazil's first criminal domestic violence legislation, the Maria da Penha Law.

Jodie G Roure, Domestic Violence in Brazil: Examining Obstacles and Approaches to Promote Legislative Reform (2009) 41:1 Colum HRL Rev 67.