Violence against women: An analysis of femicide in Brazil

Abstract

This thesis examines the issue of femicide in Brazil, which is the killing of women and girls based on their gender. I argue that the culture of machismo, a set of sexist social norms, is endangering women in Brazil. This is especially true for identities marginalized within the main women group, such as women of color and transgender and transsexual women. Even though Brazil has special legislation to tackle the issue of violence against women, the same is not as effective as it could be. It also fails to address the root cause of the problem, which is the machismo present both in the society and the State institutions. An intersectional approach was used to attempt to understand femicide in all its complexity, so at first Intersectional Theory will be addressed, followed by the methodology chapter. Then will be given a background on the Brazilian experience regarding femicide and violence against women, followed by the development of norms regarding the subject of this thesis, both international and domestic legislation. Lastly, femicide will be analyzed within the scope of this master’s thesis.