“Corrective rapes, slaps and stabbings. They want to keep our mouths closed, but not even death will silence us. Living women!”, with these words social worker Elisandra “Lis” Martins ended her speech at Batalha de Rimas, in the center of Brasília, at the Levante Mulheres Vivas event, held in several capitals across the country this Sunday (7).
Under heavy rain, thousands of people participated in the protest in the Federal District (DF) to denounce violence against women, feminicide and the State’s failure to protect and prevent gender-based violence.
The “Uprising” was called by dozens of women’s organizations, after successive emblematic cases of femicides that shocked Brazil in recent days. In Brasília, speeches by leaders and cultural presentations moved the TV Tower, in the center of the capital.
Rhymer Elisandra “Lis” Martins, 31, is part of the Batalha das Gurias collective, from the National Front of Women in Hip-Hop, and attended the event to denounce gender violence in the hope of provoking a reaction from the State.
“It’s gender violence, it’s racial violence, for these reasons our lives are scarce, it’s like living in the underworld of jobs, outskirts and even the world itself. From non-acceptance to depression that kills us, keeping our breath alive”, rhymed the resident of Itapoã, an administrative region of the DF about 10 kilometers from Esplanada dos Ministérios.
The demonstration was attended by a minister and six ministers, including those from the Women’s portfolio, Cida Gonçalves, Racial Equality, Anielle Franco, and Institutional Relations, Gleisi Hoffmann, as well as federal deputies, First Lady Janja Lula da Silva and several popular leaders.
Ministers and the first lady, Janja Lula da Silva, during the Levante Mulheres Vivas event, in the central area of Brasília, against feminicide – Photo Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil
State violence
There were recurrent speeches against the State and the omission and inability of institutions to protect women victims of violence, as well as to prevent these crimes.
Vanessa Hacon, PhD in social sciences, is an activist with Coletivo Mães na Luta, which advises women who are victims of violence. She claims that the justice system is negligent in its care for women and, in most cases, blames the victim herself.
“Women leave home to escape domestic violence and end up in the justice system, where procedural violence is intense and absurd and judges do nothing,” said Vanessa.
The activist complains that the institutions of the Justice system do not grant protective measures to women as necessary.
Carla Michelli and Vanessa Hacon at Levante Mulheres Vivas, in Brasília, against feminicide – Photo Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil
“There is a sexist ideology in the courts that delegitimizes complaints based on vulgar gender stereotypes, such as ‘this woman is resentful’, ‘does not accept the end of the relationship’, ‘vindictive’. These complaints need to be taken seriously and, in fact, processed correctly, instead of filed under vague arguments”, he criticized.
Patriarchy
With cries such as “Feminism is revolution” and “Mulheres Vivas”, the protesters highlighted that the “patriarchal” way in which society has been structured over the centuries contributes to a kind of “epidemic” of femicides in Brazil.
“Patriarchy is when society is structured based on the logic that men, that the male gender, has power, and power is centralized in them, from them, and it is from them that things happen”, stated the militant of the Unified Black Movement (MNU), Leonor Costa.
She highlighted to Agência Brasil that the “absurd” cases of femicides in recent days have ignited women’s revolt across the country.
Black Movement activist, Leonor Costa says that education is fundamental to changing violence against women – Photo Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil
“I hope that these acts sensitize society and show the danger that women experience in their daily lives and, more than that, that they sensitize the State. It is essential that there are public policies that are capable of stopping this level of violence”, he stated.
For the MNU representative, education is fundamental to changing this culture. “Education policies are necessary that can raise awareness among society as a whole to understand that this is the country’s problem. This is not just my problem, as I am a woman”, she added.
Role of men and the public budget
The majority of the demonstration was made up of women, but many men attended the event and the leaders present highlighted their role in the fight against gender-based violence, as explained by writer, filmmaker and retired teacher Renata Parreira.
“It is necessary to call on men to discuss, to reflect on their toxic masculinity. Bring them as allies to this fight, because it is a fight for everyone so that we can change the project of society”, he highlighted.
For Renata, who is part of the Feminist Uprising against Feminicide, Lesbocide and Transfeminicide, it is still necessary to reinforce the public budget to combat gender violence.
“Without a public budget, without qualified staff, without economic and social research indicators, there is no way to develop effective public policies to prevent violence against women. We need, through education, to transform reality because culture is not fixed, it is dynamic and can be changed”, he added.
For writer Renata Parreira, a public budget is needed to combat gender-based violence – Photo Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil
Economic issue
The economic situation of women was another element remembered in the act as a factor that fuels gender-based violence.
Entrepreneur Aline Karina Dias, 36 years old, believes that the financial issue is the weapon to emancipate many women from cycles of violence and exclusion.
“We understand entrepreneurship, the financial issue, as a tool for women’s emancipation and existence. Many who suffer femicide are due to social issues, lack of housing and employment”, he said.
Aline Karina leads Sebas Turística, a community-based afrotourism project that aims to promote citizen tourism in São Sebastião, an administrative region of the Federal District about 17 km from the center of Brasília.
Understand
The national mobilization was called after a wave of recent femicides that shook the country.
Levante Mulheres Vivas brought together thousands in the central area of Brasília to protest against feminicide – Photo Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil
At the end of November, Tainara Souza Santos had her legs mutilated after being run over and dragged for around a kilometer, while she was still trapped under the vehicle. The driver, Douglas Alves da Silva, was arrested for the crime.
In the same week, two employees at the Federal Center for Technological Education (Cefet-RJ), in Rio de Janeiro, were shot dead by an employee of the institution who then killed himself.
On Friday (5), the charred body of Army corporal Maria de Lourdes Freire Matos, 25 years old, was found in Brasília. The crime is being investigated as feminicide, after soldier Kelvin Barros da Silva, aged 21, confessed to being responsible for the murder.
Around 3.7 million Brazilian women have experienced one or more episodes of domestic violence in the last 12 months, according to the National Map of Gender Violence.
In 2024, 1,459 women were victims of femicides. On average, around four women were murdered per day in 2024 due to their gender. In 2025, Brazil has already recorded more than 1,180 femicides.
See photo gallery of the demonstration in Brasília:
