Brazil Senate raises penalties for child sexual abuse, adds AI provisions
On 7 July, the Brazilian Senate approved Project Law 3066/2025, which tightens penalties for sexual crimes against children and adolescents. The bill raises maximum imprisonment for producing, distributing, acquiring or possessing exploitative material from eight to ten years and classifies many of these offences as hedonic crimes, limiting benefits such as parole. Penalties are increased by one‑third to two‑thirds when the crime involves artificial‑intelligence tools, deepfakes, false profiles, or exploitation of a trust relationship.
The legislation also creates a “virtual patrol,” allowing law‑enforcement agencies to infiltrate public online spaces without a prior judicial order to identify and gather digital evidence. Victims and witnesses will be entitled to continuous psychological and psychosocial assistance. The Senate’s vote was symbolic; the measure now proceeds to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for sanction. Safernet Brasil reported 49,336 anonymous child‑exploitation complaints between January and July 2025, an 18.9 % rise over the same period in 2024, underscoring the urgency of the reforms.