AT LEAST four women were killed every day last year in Brazil — the highest recorded number of femicides in a decade, according to figures published by the country’s Department of Justice.
The killing of a woman or girl on account of her gender became a criminal offence in its own right in Brazil only in 2015. Since then, the country has recorded 13,448 victims. The number has continued to increase, year on year. In 2025, 1470 women and girls were killed, many at home by partners or ex-partners.
The figures published by the Department of Justice at the end of January are the officially recorded totals, but the true figure is likely to be higher still, campaigners have warned.
Church leaders in Brazil have expressed outrage at the continuing rise in violence.
The Revd Elineide Oliveira, of the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil, said that the data showed how violence against women had become normalised in Brazil. “Each femicide is an affront to the sacredness of life, and an open wound in the body of Christ. As a Church committed to justice, we affirm women’s lives are sacred and non-negotiable,” she said.
“We call on our communities to strengthen networks of welcome, protection, and support for women experiencing violence. Churches must be safe spaces of listening and pastoral care.
“Education for peace is a path of transformation. We reaffirm our commitment to educational practices that promote egalitarian relationships, dismantle violent masculinities, and challenge religious interpretations that legitimize submission or silencing.”
The Revd Dr Mauro de Souza, of the Evangelical Church of Lutheran Confession in Brazil, said: “Each woman murdered represents a life brutally cut short, a serious violation of human dignity, and an attack on the gift of life granted by God.
“Femicide is the most extreme expression of a culture of inequality, domination, and machismo that directly contradicts the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
The Church issued a further statement: “Following Christ means taking a clear stand against all forms of violence, especially when it affects women and girls in a systematic and structural way.”
In December, thousands of women marched in cities across Brazil protesting at the rates of femicide, murder, and misogyny.
More than one in three women in Brazil was a victim of some form of sexual or gender-based violence over the course of a year, according to a 2025 report by the think tank Brazilian Forum on Public Safety. This is the highest number since its records began in 2017.