Brazil sees surge in gender‑based violence and femicide cases

femicide gender violence Brazil Paraíba Olinda

A series of reports from Brazil highlight a worsening picture of gender‑based violence. Police arrested a 30‑year‑old man in Dionísio Cerqueira after he stabbed his 34‑year‑old partner in front of their three children, an incident classified as attempted femicide. Nationwide data show a 35.6 % rise in LGBT‑related hate crimes between 2024 and 2025, with officials citing severe under‑reporting. In the state of Pernambuco, the city of Olinda reduced recorded incidents of violence against women, falling from 231 cases in January to 177 in June 2026 and achieving zero femicide reports in several months. Meanwhile, the Patrulha Maria da Penha, a specialized protection unit, recorded an 18.6 % increase in emergency calls in the Greater ABC region during the first half of 2026. The state of Paraíba reported an average of three femicides per month in the first half of the year, with 19 victims and 19 attempted femicides across 14 municipalities; João Pessoa alone accounted for five femicide cases. A court in Campos Novos sentenced a man to 45 years in prison for a 2025 femicide committed in front of his daughter, also ordering R$50 000 in moral damages. In Maranhão, three homicides within a week brought the state's violent death toll to 70 for the year, authorities linking the crimes to drug‑trafficking factions.

Entities

Atibaia · Brazil · Campos Novos · Campos Novos, Brazil · Chapadão do Sul, Brazil · Dionísio Cerqueira · Dionísio Cerqueira, Brazil · Jataizinho · Jessicléia Martins · João Pessoa · Ministry of Justice and Public Security · Olinda

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[○ 1 SOURCE] Stalking cases against women in Acre rose from 240 in 2024 to 281 in 2025, a 16.6% increase. contilnetnoticias.com.br
[○ 1 SOURCE] Violence against LGBT people in Brazil increased by 35.6% between 2024 and 2025. ohoje.com
[● 3 SOURCES] Paraíba had 19 femicide victims in the first half of 2026, averaging three per month. overbo.com.br · paraibainforma.com.br · portals1.com.br
[○ 1 SOURCE] Stalking incidents against women in Paraíba increased by roughly 40% from 1,534 in 2024 to 2,147 in 2025. diariopb.com.br
[○ 1 SOURCE] Violence against LGBT people in Brazil suffers from under‑reporting due to lack of standardized data collection across states. ohoje.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] Rio de Janeiro recorded 2,723 cases of sexual harassment against women in 2025, representing about 90% of victims. www.cnnbrasil.com.br
[○ 1 SOURCE] Brazil recorded 1,571 femicide cases in 2025, a 4% rise over 2024 and an average of four women killed per day. www.estadao.com.br
[○ 1 SOURCE] Olinda recorded zero femicide cases in several months of 2026 and reduced total recorded violence against women to 177 in June. jc.uol.com.br
[● 3 SOURCES] Paraíba recorded 19 femicides in the first half of 2026, averaging about three per month. overbo.com.br · paraibainforma.com.br · portals1.com.br
[○ 1 SOURCE] Olinda reported zero femicide cases during several months of 2026 and total recorded violence against women fell to 177 in June. jc.uol.com.br
[○ 1 SOURCE] Police lethality in Baixada Fluminense rose from 2% in 2024 to 18% in 2025 despite a decrease in the number of operations. www.mundopositivo.com.br
[○ 1 SOURCE] Araguari had the highest intentional violent death rate among Brazilian municipalities with over 100,000 inhabitants in 2025, at 38.9 deaths per 100,000 residents. regionalzao.com.br