Maria Katiane Gomes da Silva is attacked by her husband, Alex Leandro Bispo, falls from the 10th floor of the building where she lives, in Vila Andrade, west of São Paulo, and dies. Bishop is arrested by .
Tainara Souza Santos is run over and dragged by a car, in Parque Novo Mundo, north of the capital of São Paulo. She has both legs amputated and, after spending almost a month in the hospital, she dies; Douglas Alves da Silva is captured.
Karine Braz de Souza disappears. Months later, her husband, Alberto Santana Eugenio, confesses to the police that he killed her. Her body was found under the floor of a store in Santa Cruz.
The year begins marred by the spread of feminicides across the country, and the topic is already impacting political discussion. Parliamentarians from the government’s base pressure the president () to propose a state of public calamity and suggest that his re-election campaign have specific proposals to combat anti-women.
The pressure is no less for the governor of , (Republicanos-SP), political opponent of the PT member. Survey of Sheet shows that, in the midst of the femicide crisis, his administration will reduce transfers to the Secretariat of Policies for . The government denies this and says that, in the end, the government will be bigger.
With regard to the federal government, deputies Fernanda Melchionna (-RS) and Sâmia Bomfim (PSOL-SP) filed an indication for Lula to send to Congress a request for recognition of public calamity in the face of feminicides. According to Melchionna, such an expedient would allow more resources to be allocated to prevent crimes.
So far, however, the PT member has not made a decision. “This doesn’t disappoint me, but it frustrates me. I still have hope that this will move forward,” says Bomfim. “We have independent political positions and I voted for him in the last elections precisely so that democratic positions would be guaranteed”, says Melchionna.
In recent speeches, Lula demanded active participation from members of his government in the fight against feminicide. He even called a meeting with representatives of the three Powers to discuss the issue, but the debate ended without any news. In his third term, the PT member recreated the Ministry of Women, which had been abolished during the (PL) government.
At the same time, the Ministry of Justice and Public Security only implemented 0.1% of the budget foreseen in the National Pact to Prevent Femicides, between March 2024 and June this year.
In 2024, Brazil reached the highest number of femicides since the crime was classified, almost a decade ago.
The law classifies the murder of a woman through domestic violence and disregard or discrimination against the condition of a woman as the crime of feminicide. According to the Brazilian Public Security Yearbook, there were 1,492 cases in 2024, which represents an average of four femicides per day.
In 2025, the state of São Paulo recorded the highest number of femicides in history. According to data from the State Public Security Secretariat, there were 233, from January to November. Assaults against women under the title of intentional bodily harm (with intent) also reached the highest number ever, with 61,474 complaints at police stations. In December, a police action arrested 233 attackers across the state.
Last year, the Secretariat for Women’s Policies, now headed by Adriana Liporoni, operated with a budget of just over R$38 million, in values already adjusted for inflation. For next year, the budget should be R$30 million, which means a 20% reduction. The comparison was made based on expenditure data available at the State Department of Finance and Planning.
“The lack of budget is linked to the increase in femicides in São Paulo, which has a reactionary government that does not treat combating femicides as a priority”, says Melchionna, author of a bill that stipulates the installation of electronic ankle bracelets on aggressors.
In a note, the São Paulo government denies the drop in investments and says that the budget, throughout the year, is increased through tax amendments and supplements. The government reports that its budget proposal for 2026 was 70% higher than what had been proposed in 2025.
The proposal sent by the government last year was R$10 million, a value adjusted for inflation. For this year’s budget, the government proposed R$16.5 million. Although the value is higher, it is lower than the R$38 million in the final budget, which is due to increases made by state deputies during processing in the Legislative Assembly. It was the parliamentarians who were responsible for leaving the portfolio with R$30 million for 2026.
Furthermore, of the R$38 million budget last year, only 60% (around R$23 million) was committed, that is, reserved for use.
Tarcísio’s ally, state deputy Carla Morando (-SP) says she sees no mistakes on the part of the government in combating violence against women. According to her, it is difficult for public authorities to discover a crime that occurs behind closed doors. She highlights the government’s actions to encourage female entrepreneurship, enabling women’s independence.
“The left may even use the crimes of São Paulo, but it will be narrative. There are more people here, and everything is more exacerbated”, says Morando.
Supporter of Bolsonaro, federal deputy Bia Kicis (PL-DF) says she sees a loosening of security in the country, although data indicates an upward trend in femicides during Bolsonaro’s administration. Kicis praises the former president’s projects, recalling his old mottos.
“The action at the time was to reinforce security and the issue of releasing weapons to those who are capable of using them. Women are more fragile. The only way to be equal to men is to have equipment”, says the parliamentarian. “When an aggressor comes, would you rather have a gun or the Maria da Penha Law?”
