Taynara Souza Santos, 31 years old, while leaving a bar, was run over and dragged by a car about a kilometer north of São Paulo, on Saturday morning (29). Ten kilometers away, two days later, a woman was hit by several bullets fired by her ex-partner in the sweet shop where she worked.
Tainara’s legs were amputated and he was taken to hospital. The other woman remains in hospital. The two attacks were recorded as attempted murder of women.
In 2025, the number of this type of crime in the capital São Paulo reached 53 cases, the highest number in the historical series – and the record occurs even two months before the end of the year. In 2024, there were 51 femicides from January to December, the highest number ever recorded up to that point.
According to a survey by the São da Paz Institute, the capital, São Paulo, was the scene of one in every four femicides committed in the state. Comparing the first ten months of 2025 with the same period last year, the increase is 23% in the city. Regarding 2023, growth reached 71%.
The data reinforces the historical trend of violence against women: The majority of cases occur in the home (67%) and victims are killed with sharp weapons or blunt objects—tools used in more than half of the crimes in the state.
Coordinator of women’s defense police stations in the state, Adriana Liporoni, says that cases of murder of women are generally the result of a long cycle of violence. According to her, the increase in incidents reflects the intensification of conflicts in relationships and the improvement in identifying and legally registering crimes.
She says the Femicides Act, approved in 2015, has helped improve this recognition, but that part of the growth is also a result of an increase in extreme violence in society. For her, the brutality of the actions reflects dynamics of control and possession, with some abusers reacting with disproportionate violence when the woman tries to break off the relationship.
Before the change in legislation, these crimes were generally recorded as homicides. With this change, gender-based homicides began to be counted separately.
Liboroni emphasizes that although legislation is constantly evolving, the law alone does not change reality. “The big challenge is prevention and being able to identify the first signs of a cycle of violence,” he says. The delegate explains that when violence is noticed early and the protection network moves quickly, the chance of interrupting the cycle increases before it develops into extremist situations.
Malu Pinheiro, of the São da Paz Institute, says that murders of women, often committed by family members or partners and outside the general environment, require specific interventions that differ from those applied by police in other crimes against life. She also points out that integrating and expanding reception services for women in cases of violence is essential to help victims break the cycle of abuse and not remain vulnerable.
The brutality in the actions of men who kill women leaves even those with experience of encountering the dead in doubt. the Bound Expert artistic photographer Thelma Rocha, who has worked the streets of São Paulo for over 30 years and currently works in the Homicide and Personal Protection Division of the Civil Police, breaks down what she sees when she arrives at a crime scene.
“(The women) are burned, bound, beaten and mutilated. But what strikes me most and often breaks me are the defensive injuries. Cuts on the hands and arms, broken nails. This destroys me, as the scene ends up playing in my imagination. It is very cruel.”
Experts interviewed by the report said that the biggest problem today in combating violence against women is the lack of preventive measures, not legislation. “The penalty for murder of women is up to 40 years in prison, which is the longest sentence provided by the penal code,” says Judge Ivana David of the São Paulo Court of Justice. “We need more investment in effective public policies that truly protect women,” she says.
Recently, events with significant national repercussions have drawn attention because of the cruelty of crimes committed against women, generally by men with whom the victims had a relationship. “Women have the courage to report and seek care and help. They show signs of the abuser. Femicides are the final frontier,” says the judge.
Delegate Liboroni cites some examples of actions that can help combat violence against women: prevention measures in schools, strengthening the protection network, specialized and humanitarian care, compliance with protection measures and holding perpetrators accountable. Moreover, male re-education programs are key to breaking patterns, according to her.
Ivana states that “men are more violent and aggressive,” and that crimes are increasingly characterized by cruelty and hate. She believes that the biggest challenge is changing the misogynistic patriarchal culture and gender inequality.
Key risk factors for women include gender inequality, lax social norms, lack of access to opportunities and ineffective safety nets, says Beatrice Accioli, an anthropologist and head of public policy at the Natura Institute.
It criticizes the lack of prioritization of public and private budgets to find effective solutions, such as 24-hour police stations and behavior change campaigns.
It also warns of the increase in hate speech against women online, which fuels physical violence and makes the Internet a channel for spreading misogyny. Although Brazil has rules such as the Maria da Penha Law, she stresses that they do not always translate into real protection. For this to happen, he argues that it is necessary to have concrete public policies, resources and coordination between different levels of government.
The National Violence Against Women Survey showed that 70% of cases of violence have witnesses, but 40% of these do not take any action. Beatrice believes it is necessary to go beyond simple information: “Awareness is not just knowing that the problem exists; it is knowing what to do. It is considering it unacceptable, intervening, or supporting.”