The governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans), stated this Thursday (11) that the state is experiencing a “major epidemic” of feminicides and promised to intensify actions to combat violence against women.
The statement makes reference to, in 2015: 53 femicides this year alone.
“We have a big problem, a big epidemic, which is the violence against women. We have to fight and we will use all the energy necessary to do so”, he stated during an event in Carapicuíba, in Greater São Paulo.
Tarcísio also explained the change in command of the Secretariat for Women’s Policiesnow led by delegate Adriana Liporini, who, according to him, has experience in confronting gender-based violence.
The governor said he considers combating violence against women one of the biggest challenges of his administration, as they are crimes of passion, committed, in large part, by people close to the victims.
“We have seen a reduction in robberies, homicides and robberies in general, but, in these cases, there are still difficulties. Women are often embarrassed to seek help”, he stated.
Tarcísio cited policies implemented by the government, such as the 160 DDM (Women’s Defense Police Station) rooms open 24 hours a day and the Safe Woman app, which allows you to register police reports and request protective measures. He also highlighted the use of electronic ankle monitors to monitor attackers.
Despite the speech, the 2026 Budget Law proposal sent to Alesp reduces the budget allocated to the Secretariat for Policies for Women by 54% — from R$36.2 million approved for 2025 to R$16.5 million.
The government stated that the amount represents an increase in relation to the R$9 million initially proposed by the Executive for this year. The text should be voted on next week.
When questioned, Tarcísio argued that the secretariat has a transversal function and that policies are implemented by other departments.
“When we talk about the budget, we need to be careful: the secretariat does not execute the policies. Women’s health is implemented by Health; women’s safety, by Public Security”, he said.
The governor further stated that the numbers should grow in the coming months, not due to an increase in violence, but due to greater demand from victims for help.
“I imagine that we have an increase in the statistics because women must seek more help. We need to take all measures to mitigate this problem. A fundamental thing is severe and harsh punishment for those who commit these crimes, so that they serve as an example.”
