State Representative Beth Sahão (PT) filed a lawsuit against Governor Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans) for failure to combat violence against women in São Paulo. In a popular action presented to the Central Forum of the Public Treasury, the parliamentarian demands that the governor be forced to adopt emergency measures and also be ordered to pay collective moral damages.
The initiative comes amid what the MP calls an “unprecedented escalation” of violence against women in the state, with records of femicide and attempted murder.
Contacted, the Tarcísio administration declared having adopted, “in a pioneering manner, an inter-secretariat policy to guarantee the safety, health and financial autonomy of women in the state”. “The actions are carried out in an integrated manner, with a budget shared between ministries such as Public Security, Health, Social Development, Economic Development and the Secretariat for Women’s Policies, responsible for coordinating this work transversally since its creation, in 2023,” says the government.
According to the note, this integrated management model “increases the total investment in actions to support and protect women, ensuring the efficient use of public resources and the effective impact of public policies, with the aim of strengthening the protection network, autonomy and security of women in the State”.
From January to October this year, 207 femicides were recorded in São Paulo, an increase of 6% compared to the same period of 2024, according to data from the Secretariat of Public Security. In the capital alone, responsible for about one in four cases in the state, the number reached 53 cases, the highest in the historic series even with two months to go until the end of the year.
In his action, Sahão affirms that, despite the worsening scenario, the State Secretariat for Women’s Policies is on track to end the third consecutive year with practically no resources to implement public policies. According to the process, although there are amounts provided for in the budget, the government does not release the resources and the balance available for the main actions appears as a symbolic amount of R$10.
For the deputy, the lack of investments and effective policies constitutes a serious omission on the part of the state executive. She requests the granting of emergency relief to force the government to develop a specific emergency plan to combat violence against women, with deadlines, objectives, an execution timetable and monitoring indicators. It is proposed that these measures be subject to judicial review for at least five years.
The Tarcísio administration affirms that the budget (PLOA) planned for the Secretariat of Policies for Women this year was 9.6 million reais, but clarifies that the department received amendments and supplements. “To date, 22 million BRL have already been committed, of which 15 million have already been executed,” says the government.
The planned budget for 2026, according to the state leadership, is 16.5 million reais.
In the action, Beth Sahão also requests that Tarcísio be ordered to pay collective moral damages, the amount of which will be determined by the court. The amount, according to the request, must be allocated entirely to institutions which welcome women victims of violence and to social programs intended for this public.
The process also highlights alleged violations of constitutional principles, such as administrative morality and public order, based on the provisions of the Federal Constitution and the Constitution of São Paulo. The text affirms that it is up to the public authorities to provide effective responses to guarantee social peace, equity and, above all, the preservation of life – which, according to the deputy, has not been the case in the State.
In a recent decision, the Court rejected the request for an injunction to immediately impose the measures on the government, on the understanding that the judiciary must act with caution when interfering in public policies and respect the discretionary power of the executive. However, the case is still ongoing and the prosecution has been summoned for comment.
Read the positioning of Tarcísio de Freitas management:
“The present administration has pioneered an inter-secretariat policy to ensure the safety, health and financial empowerment of women in the state. Actions are carried out in an integrated manner, with a budget shared between departments such as Public Security, Health, Social Development, Economic Development and the Secretariat of Women’s Policies, responsible for coordinating this work transversally since its creation in 2023.
This integrated management model increases the total investment in actions to support and protect women, ensuring the efficient use of public resources and the effective impact of public policies, with the aim of strengthening the protection network, autonomy and security of women in the State. Some notable actions of this policy are the Não se Cale Protocol, App Mulher Segura, Cabine Lilás, Casas da Mulher Paulista, electronic ankle monitoring of attackers, rental assistance for women victims of domestic violence, among others.
Regarding the specific budget of SP Mulher, it is important to specify that in the PLOA 2025, R$9.6 million was planned. Throughout the year, the department received mandatory amendments and supplements. To date, 22 million BRL has been committed, of which 15 million has already been executed. In the PLOA 2026, the planned budget is BRL 16.5 million, a value 70% higher than that proposed in 2025, not including possible supplements and amendments.
In the area of public security, investments allocated to specific actions aimed at protecting women increased by 231.4% during the first three years of the current administration (2023-2025), increasing from R$3.5 million to R$11.8 million compared to the same period of the previous administration (2019-2021). As part of the extensive actions of the Judicial Police, which also directly benefit women victims of violence, there was an increase of 32%, from 897.7 million reais to 1.2 billion reais.
The resources allocated to women’s defense stations have been improved in the 2024 annual finance law, now also encompassing assistance to other vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, children and adolescents. Thus, for 2026, the resources allocated to the DDMs are included in programs totaling BRL 468.3 million, of which BRL 16.9 million will be allocated to the improvement of five DDMs (Itu, Sorocaba, Ribeirão Preto, São Vicente and Guarujá). In addition, it is planned to install at least two specialized services per Police Section, either through new physical DDMs, 24-hour DDM Rooms or units with simultaneous service via DDM Online, the standardization and expansion of the opening hours of the Medico-Legal Institute (IML) and the inauguration of the Lilac Cabin in the 11th unit of COPOM, strengthening the 24-hour service of the Military Police.
with DIEGO ALEJANDRO, KARINA MATIAS and VICTORIA CÓCOLO
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