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Without a crystal ball, it’s difficult to answer this question with certainty, of course. But we have some clues as to what 2026 will bring in terms of the women’s rights agenda.
Femicide
This was projected as a very serious problem with the wave of late last year — and should remain one of the major topics of discussion.
São Paulo, for example, closed 2025 with the year since 2018, when these statistics began to be measured. There were 233 femicides and 61,400 assaults on women, in addition to more than 3,000 rapes. In January, there are at least more: Carla Carolina Miranda da Silva, 39, was stabbed on the street in the center of the capital of São Paulo. The ex-boyfriend was arrested.
How to face it is still a question without a clear answer in Brazil. In the year in which it turns 20, public policy makers need to mobilize so that the legislation — considered one of the best in the world — is enforced in practice.
Elections
The will also be a relevant event for the women’s agenda. The women’s bench has been increasing in size with each election, but Brazil continues to have the same size as South America.
Now it is too late to discuss one that could reverse this data (and our legislators to establish seat quotas or a closed list model, which worked in countries like and ). It remains to be seen whether the trend of increasing female presence will be confirmed again in 2026, and also to pay attention to the phenomenon of , which disproportionately affects women.
Abortion
Still talking about elections, the topic always appears in the process of choosing a new president. In 2026, it should be no different. As a candidate for re-election, it will be important to keep your radar on Lula’s statements about , which. The PT member usually says that he is against the procedure and that this is a matter for Congress, not the Executive. At the same time, I have said more than once that I consider it a public health problem.
The conservative electorate’s rejection of the issue can also influence decisions and the support that its base will give to the issue in the Legislature. At the end of 2025, the Chamber approved a project for (National Council for the Rights of Children and Adolescents) on . The text is now in the Senate.
World cup
Not only to mention the challenges, 2026 will also be the heat of the year. The tournament will take place in Brazil next year. Therefore, the country should host the women’s Copa América, between March and April — Porto Alegre volunteered to host the event.
