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 According to a 2005 World Health Organization study on Domestic Violence, violence against women is accepted as "normal" within many countries. The study is one of the largest done on the subject and collected data from 10 countries around the world, interviewing nearly 25,000 women and many groups that work with the issue of violence.
Brazil was one of the countries cited in the study and is indicated as a country with a high index of domestic violence against women. Violence by an intimate partner is a common experience worldwide. Women are at far greater risk of physical or sexual violence by a partner in the home than from violence on the street or from other people. This violence has devastating consequences, not only for the women who experience it, but also for the children who witness it. According to studies by Brazil's Perseu Abramo Foundation, every 15 seconds a Brazilian woman suffers from violence, most of it in the home. As of August 7, 2006, Brazil has a Domestic Violence Law. Before that date, Brazil was the only Latin American country without a specific law for domestic violence. The new Law 11.340 or Maria da Penha Law emphasizes that domestic violence is a human rights' violation and provides stiffer penalties for the crime. These penalties include prison for aggressors "caught in the act"; prison sentences of up to three years for those found guilty of domestic violence; protective measures for women and children; court-appointed lawyers for the victims; and the set-up of special courts to deal with family and domestic violence. The law is named in homage of Maria da Penha, who struggled for 20 years for justice in her case of domestic violence. In 1983, Maria da Penha , a biologist/pharmacist, was shot a number of times in the back by her husband, Marco Antonio Viveiros, a university professor. She is now a paraplegic as a result of these injuries. This action was the culmination of years of violence at the hands of her husband. In spite of being condemned to 20 years in prison by two Brazilian tribunals (1991 and 1996), Viveiros remained in freedom. In 1998, a denouncement was made to the Interamerican Commission for Human Rights. In 2001, the Commission denounced Brazil as negligent and omissive in the case of Penha and in relation to domestic violence against women in the country. It was only in 2003, twenty years after the crime, that Viveiros began his prison sentence. He served little time and is now free. Maria da Penha continues to work to stop violence against women and is the author of a book, I Survived, in which she tells her story and inspires other women to denounce violence. The results of domestic violence studies in Brazil and, in particular, the World Health Organization study, highlight the need for gender equality programs and action plans in schools and communities to address violence against women. In Brazil and many other countries, there will be a campaign of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence to raise awareness about violence against women and to find new strategies to deal with violence as well as pressure governments to develop and implement programs. This international campaign in 130 countries began in 1991 and officially begins on November 25, International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and ends on December 10, International Human Rights Day, in order to stress that violence against women is a violation of human rights. These 16 days also commemorate other significant dates including December 1st, World AIDS Day, and December 6, which marks the Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre of women university students in 1989. In Brazil, November 20, the National Day of Afro-Brazilian Consciousness, will also be commemorated in honor of Afro-Brazilian women. This day is a holiday in memory of Zumbi dos Palmares, a great leader who established the Quilombo das Palmares that provided freedom for slaves. Deise Benedito, president of Fala Preta, an Afro-Brazilian organization that works against racism, states that, "November 20 is a day for debates and reflection, a denouncement of racism, and a demand for public policies for the Afro-Brazilian population, especially women." Throughout the 16-day campaign, all forms of gender violence will be denounced from beatings to rape and sexual harassment to state violence against women prisoners. Participate in the campaign in your area and work to end violence against women. This year's theme is "Celebrate 16 Years of 16 Days: Advance Human Rights! End Violence Against Women"! Joanne Blaney is a Maryknoll lay missioner who works with adolescents and women in situations of domestic violence in Brazil.
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Domestic Violence is a Serious, Widespread Social Problem in America: The Facts
Prevalence of Domestic Violence
* Estimates range from 960,000 incidents of violence against a current or former spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend per year1 to three million women who are physically abused by their husband or boyfriend per year.2
* Around the world, at least one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime.3
* Nearly one-third of American women (31 percent) report being physically or sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives, according to a 1998 Commonwealth Fund survey.4
* Nearly 25 percent of American women report being raped and/or physically assaulted by a current or former spouse, cohabiting partner, or date at some time in their lifetime, according to the National Violence Against Women Survey, conducted from November 1995 to May 1996.5
* Thirty percent of Americans say they know a woman who has been physically abused by her husband or boyfriend in the past year.6
* In the year 2001, more than half a million American women (588,490 women) were victims of nonfatal violence committed by an intimate partner.7
* Intimate partner violence is primarily a crime against women. In 2001, women accounted for 85 percent of the victims of intimate partner violence (588,490 total) and men accounted for approximately 15 percent of the victims (103,220 total).8
* While women are less likely than men to be victims of violent crimes overall, women are five to eight times more likely than men to be victimized by an intimate partner.9
* In 2001, intimate partner violence made up 20 percent of violent crime against women. The same year, intimate partners committed three percent of all violent crime against men.10
* As many as 324,000 women each year experience intimate partner violence during their pregnancy.11
* Women of all races are about equally vulnerable to violence by an intimate.12
* Male violence against women does much more damage than female violence against men; women are much more likely to be injured than men.13
* The most rapid growth in domestic relations caseloads is occurring in domestic violence filings. Between 1993 and 1995, 18 of 32 states with three year filing figures reported an increase of 20 percent or more.14
* Women are seven to 14 times more likely than men to report suffering severe physical assaults from an intimate partner.15
Domestic Homicides
* On average, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends in this country every day. In 2000, 1,247 women were killed by an intimate partner. The same year, 440 men were killed by an intimate partner.16
* Women are much more likely than men to be killed by an intimate partner. In 2000, intimate partner homicides accounted for 33.5 percent of the murders of women and less than four percent of the murders of men.17
* Pregnant and recently pregnant women are more likely to be victims of homicide than to die of any other cause18 , and evidence exists that a significant proportion of all female homicide victims are killed by their intimate partners.19
* Research suggests that injury related deaths, including homicide and suicide, account for approximately one-third of all maternal mortality cases, while medical reasons make up the rest. But, homicide is the leading cause of death overall for pregnant women, followed by cancer, acute and chronic respiratory conditions, motor vehicle collisions and drug overdose, peripartum and postpartum cardiomyopthy, and suicide.20