Feminicide in the state of Roraima, Brazil

This book, which has been organized amongst three chapters and conclusions, was developed on the subject of gender violence. Its goal is to analyze the historically violent social context for women in the State of Roraima, as well as the expressive exponential increase on the rates of violence against women and several forms, as to verify the invisibility of the female gender before public institutions. Its methodological approach is descriptive and qualitative.

The subject stood out for being a phenomenon which accompanies the structuring of social relations and, despite current institutional highlight, is still perpetuated amongst generations, manifesting in different forms in an increasingly intense and hostile manner towards the condition of the female gender.

The regional study focused in the State of Roraima has indicated that that region may be considered as one of the most lethal in Brazil in terms of gender violence and specifically when it comes to violence against women. On that note, it has been reported that, although there is some implementation of specialized agencies for helping women victimized by violence, as well as the punishment of offenders via the Bill of Law 11.340/2006, the effectiveness of public policies for the prevention and awareness of the population is still precarious.

In that sense, it’s worthy of note that Roraima is one of the youngest states in Brazil, and also the most dangerous one for women and girls. That is shown on the high rates of feminicide, concept which defines an act of utmost graveness, in an institutional and cultural context of both discrimination and gender violence.

That reality justifies the present thought contribution, for purposes of elaborating public policies for mitigating, controlling, and punishing violent acts against the female gender. For that, founded on that premise, the deductive and descriptive scientific  method was used, which, through logical-discursive resources accomplished by surveying, reviewing, and bibliographic and legal researching, have allowed for a comprehensive understanding of the local scenario, the dire implications of the different crimes described, and also offered reflections on which measures may be taken for facing them. 

The results have shown that crimes against women are often accompanied by a set of acts of extreme violence and physical and psychological cruelty which also indicate levels of hatred, when there are subjections to torture, mutilation, insulting, or psychological pressures.

Having considered these phenomena, which are not new at all, it concludes that these socio-cultural issues demand imminent attention from the State, as well as coherent public policies as to assure the safety and the development of women; a legal apparatus and constant improvement of the professionals in the health and legal areas tending to these issues and new mechanisms for male reeducation focused on respecting women’s choices and individuality.

The first chapter approaches the tolerance displayed by society when it comes to domestic violence and sexism, as well as the connivance of the State to its occurrence. The lack of effectiveness of Human Rights dictated in legal milestones as well as the lack of accountability of the National States on the subject is also discussed.

The second chapter discusses the legal devices for the protection of women in Brazil, with special attention to the Bill of Law 11.340, commonly known as the Maria da Penha Law, and its impact on how Brazil deals with domestic and familial violence. It also analyzes the forms of gender, domestic, and familial violence.

The third chapter analyzes the history of violence against women, through an analysis of the historical terminology used to describe it, as well as demonstrating the growing rates of feminicide and violence against women which have been previously mentioned.

Lastly, it is concluded that, although the issue is rooted in cultural constructs, it is intensified by the omission of the public authorities. The procedures implemented for facilitating the denouncement and repression of violence against women are constantly maturing, and are doomed to ineffectiveness due to lack of inter-agency communication and effective restraining measures for after the reporting of the occurrences.