The number of femicide victims in the state of São Paulo increased in January this year, compared to the same period in 2025. There were 27 women murdered in the month, five more victims than the number recorded in January of the previous year. The data was released this Friday (27) on the state Public Security Secretariat (SSP) portal.
In 15 incidents, the perpetrators were arrested in the act, according to the ministry. In cities in the interior of São Paulo, there were 20 deaths in the first month of this year, with 12 arrests in the act. The other victims were killed in the capital and the metropolitan region.
Researcher Daiane Bertasso, from the Femicide Studies Laboratory (Lesfem), at the State University of Londrina (Uel), explains that there are several situations that cause the cycle of violence against women to be neglected and, therefore, the crime of feminicide to occur.
“Femicide is not an unexpected crime. It is a crime that results from family and intimate relationships. And it occurs after a cycle of violence of various types. The Maria da Penha Law itself, which typifies various types of violence – psychological, emotional, property – explains how much this cycle of violence is getting worse”, he said.
The researcher adds that machismo, misogyny and a society focused on masculine values contribute to people ignoring the signs of violence that precede femicides.
“Often women feel intimidated, embarrassed, they don’t socialize this with their family. When they do socialize, the family often says it’s [apenas] a moment, a phase”, he reported.
Furthermore, recent cases of femicide that have been highlighted in the press recently demonstrate that, even women with protective measures against their aggressors, did not effectively receive protection from the State and ended up killed by them.
“It would be important for us to have more effective public policies so that these women can truly feel welcomed,” said Bertasso.
Toxic masculinity is yet another element that generates violence against women in the country. “We have a line of research that studies the machosphere, and we have noticed that these networks have greatly strengthened these ideals [machistas e misóginos]. And this, unfortunately, is forming young people and children with this mindset.”
“Education focused on gender relations in schools would need to be mandatory, to prevent these children and young people from being co-opted by this digital space that does not have much control”, he assessed.
Record number of femicides
Brazil reached record number of 1,518 victims of femicide in 2025according to the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, which represents four deaths per day. The previous year, in 2024, the country had already reached a record, with 1,458 victims.
In 2025, the state of São Paulo also registered the highest number of femicides since the beginning of the historical series, in 2018. Throughout the year, victims reached 270, which represents an increase of 6.7% compared to 2024, when the number reached 253. The data is available on the state Secretariat of Public Security (SSP) website.
