(International Women’s Day in Rio De Janeiro)
One day after International Women’s Day, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff signed off on a new law which sets harsher penalties for the killings of women in girls. In a speech on Monday, President Rousseff stated that approximately 15 women a day are murdered in Brazil.
Under the new law, murders linked to domestic violence would carry a sentence of 12 to 30 years. The murders of girls under 14, women who have disabilities, and women who are pregnant or have recently given birth, would be given an additional sentence.
According to Nadine Gasman, the UN Women Brazil representative, the law is preventative.
During her term, President Dilma Rousseff has also signed off on other laws in protect women and girls in Brazil. In 2013, she signed legislation requiring public hospitals to provide victims of sexual assault with treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. The new law also granted these women access to abortion services, which are illegal in most cases in Brazil.
[…] report comes comes just months after Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff signed off on a new femicide law, that sets harsher penalties for the killings of women and girls in the […]