Women protest gender-based violence across Brazil following shocking cases

Demonstrators take parte in a march against femicide following a series of high-profile cases in the country, in Sao Paulo, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025.

RIO DE JANEIRO — Tens of thousands of women in cities across Brazil rallied against gender-based violence Sunday as a record number of female victims and a series of recent high-profile cases have shocked the country.

Women of all ages and some men took to the streets in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and other cities, calling for an end to femicide, rape and misogyny and for men to join them in their struggle.

Alline de Souza Pedrotti’s sister, who was an administrative worker in a school in Rio de Janeiro, was killed on Nov. 28 by a male colleague along with another employee.

Pedrotti, who was at the demonstration on the boardwalk in Copacabana, said the person who killed her sister didn’t accept having female bosses.

“I’m devastated,” she told The Associated Press. “But I’m fighting through the pain and I won’t stop. I want changes in the legislation and new protocols to prevent this kind of crime from happening again.”

In another shocking case, Taynara Souza Santos was run over by her ex-boyfriend and trapped by car, which dragged her over concrete for one kilometre (0.6 mile). The 31-year-old’s injuries were so severe her legs were amputated. Video footage of the Nov. 28 incident in Sao Paulo went viral.

And on Nov. 21, in the southern city of Florianopolis, English teacher Catarina Kasten was raped and strangled to death on a trail next to a beach on her way to a swimming lesson.

Women raise their voices

These recent cases were “the final straw,” said Isabela Pontes, who was on Sao Paulo’s Paulista Avenue. “I have suffered many forms of abuses, and today I am here to show our voice.”

More than one in three women in Brazil was a victim of sexual or gender-based violence over the course of a year, according to a 2025 report by the think tank Brazilian Forum on Public Safety, the highest number since records began in 2017.

A decade ago, Brazil passed a law recognizing the crime of femicide defined as the death of a woman in the domestic sphere or as resulting from contempt for women.

Record number of female victims

Last year, 1,492 women were victims of femicide, the highest number since the law was introduced in 2015, according to the Brazilian Forum on Public Safety.

“We’re seeing an increase in numbers but also in the intensity and cruelty of violence,” said Juliana Martins, an expert in gender-based violence and institutional relations manager at the Brazilian Forum on Public Safety.

More women are speaking out against violence targeting them and have gained visibility in the public sphere, Martins said.

“Social transformations seeking equality of rights and representation generate violent responses aimed at reaffirming women’s subordination,” she said.

Black crosses

On Sunday, demonstrators in Rio put out dozens of black crosses, while others bore stickers with messages such as “machismo kills” and wore green scarfs associated with the demand for access to abortion.

Evelyn Lucy da Luz, a 44-year-old children’s educator, said she was a victim of an attempted femicide 10 years ago. “I almost died, but I didn’t.”

Lizete de Paula, 79, said men who hate women had felt empowered during the term of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who dismantled public policies aimed at strengthening women’s rights.

“Women are increasingly entering new spaces and macho men can’t stand this,” the former architect said.

Joao Pedro Cordão, a 45-year-old father of three daughters, said men have a duty to stand with women by calling out misogyny not only at protests but in day-to-day life.

“Only then will we be able to put an end to - or at least reduce - the current violence against women,” he said.

Thiago Mostazo in Sao Paulo contributed.

Eléonore Hughes, The Associated Press