Violence against women: more than 18 million were victims in 2022

“There are more than 50 thousand victims per day, a football stadium full of people”, says Samira Bueno, executive director of the Forum.

The frightening data stands out even more because it is the highest number ever reached since the beginning of the survey in 2007, according to the fourth edition of Visible and Invisible research: the Victimization of Women in Brazil.

In 2022, 3m on average, women who were victims of violence reported 4 attacks throughout the year. Among those divorced, there were 9 nine times.

Violence against women has grown in different forms, from physical, sexual and psychological.

The data of feminicides and intentional homicides of women are not yet available, but the sharp increase in serious forms of physical violence (11%), which can result in death at any time, gives the clues:

7,4 million Brazilian women were attacked with slaps, punches and kicks, for example.

This means that every 1 minute 14 women were assaulted

• beating or attempted strangulation (5,4%),
• threats with a knife or firearm (5,1%),
• injury caused by an object that was thrown at them (4,2%),
• stabbing or shooting (1,6%).

“It will not be surprising if we encounter the growth of both types of lethal violence against women. Unfortunately, Brazil has become more insecure for all of us, says Samira Bueno”

How did the research work?

The survey interviewed 2.017 people, including men and women, in 126 Brazilian municipalities, from January 9 to 13, 2023, and was carried out by Instituto Datafolha and with support from Uber.

“All the research data is really quite sad, but, when we look at the violence suffered by women in Brazil, compared to the research we did previously, all types of violence were accentuated in the last year”, warns Samira.

“Women are increasingly suffering violence. There is increase of 4 percentage points on women who suffered some type of violence or aggression in the last year, compared to previous research. This is a very shocking fact”, laments researcher at the Brazilian Public Security Forum Amanda Lagreca.

What is femicide?

Femicide is the term used to describe murders of women committed based on gender. In other words, when the victim is killed simply because she is a woman. But what does this crime mean, exactly? Is every murder of a woman considered femicide? O Curto News explains it to you.

Other types of violence

Among the other forms of violence mentioned, the most frequent were:

• verbal insults (23,1%),
• persecution (13,5%),
• threats of physical violence (12,4%),
• sexual offenses (9%),

The research presented unprecedented data: one in three Brazilian women over 16 years old 21,5 million women victims of physical or sexual violence by intimate partners or former partners, representing 33,4% of the country's female population.

If we consider cases of psychological violence, 43% of Brazilian women have already been victims of an intimate partner. Black women, with low education, with children and divorced are the main victims, the research revealed.

“When we look at this figure of 33,4%, compared to the World Health Organization’s global average of 27%, what we are seeing is that in Brazil this number is higher than the number one estimated by the WHO”, laments Amanda Lagreca.

Violence lives with you!

For the researcher, another shocking fact concerns the perpetrator of the violence. For the first time, the study pointed to the ex-partner as the main perpetrator of violence (31,3%), followed by the current intimate partner (26,7%).

The perpetrator of the violence is known to the victim in most cases (73,7%).

Therefore, the The least safe place for women is their own home – 53,8% reported that the most serious episode of aggression in the last 12 months happened at home.

This number is higher than that recorded in the 2021 edition of the survey (48,8%), which covered the height of social isolation during the covid-19 pandemic.

Other places of violence:

• the street (17,6%),
• the work environment (4,7%)
• bars or clubs (3,7%). s

Regarding the reaction to violence, the majority (45%) of women said they did nothing. In previous surveys, in 2017 and 2019, this number was 52%.

The number of victims who went to a Women's Police Station increased compared to 2021, rising from 11,8% to 14% in 2022. Other forms of reporting were: calling the Military Police (4,8%), making a record electronic (1,7%) or contact the Women's Assistance Center via Dial 180 (1,6%).

Sexual harassment

The survey showed that 46,7% of Brazilian women suffered sexual harassment in 2022, an increase of almost 9 percentage points compared to 2021, when the prevalence of harassment was 37,9%.

It can be estimated that 30 million women who reported having suffered some type of harassment:

• 26,3 million women heard disrespectful chants and comments on the street (41,0%)
• or in the workplace (18,6% – 11,9 million)
• 12,8% were physically harassed on public transport
• or approached aggressively at a party (11,2%).

If you are a victim of gender-based violence or are witnessing attacks on a woman: Dial 180