Tens of thousands of women across Brazil gathered on Sunday, December 7, 2025, protesting against gender-based violence in response to a staggering rise in female victims and several recent high-profile cases that have shocked the nation. Major cities such as Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo witnessed large demonstrations, where women of various ages, along with some men, called for an end to femicide, rape, and misogyny, urging men to join the cause.
Among the demonstrators was Alline de Souza Pedrotti, who lost her sister, an administrative worker in a Rio de Janeiro school, to a male colleague's violence on November 28. Pedrotti highlighted that her sister’s murder stemmed from the assailant's inability to accept female authority. "I’m devastated," she expressed. "But I’m fighting through the pain, and I won’t stop. I want changes in the legislation and new protocols to prevent this kind of crime from happening again." This tragic event was accompanied by another harrowing incident involving Taynara Souza Santos, who was run over by her ex-boyfriend and dragged for a kilometer, resulting in severe injuries including the amputation of her legs. Images of this incident went viral.
In yet another alarming case, English teacher Catarina Kasten was raped and strangled on November 21 while walking to a swimming lesson in Florianopolis. The cumulative impact of these incidents led activists like Isabela Pontes, who protested on São Paulo’s Paulista Avenue, to declare, "These recent cases were the final straw. I have suffered many forms of abuses, and today I am here to show our voice." The situation in Brazil has become increasingly dire, with a report from the Brazilian Forum on Public Safety revealing that over one in three women has experienced sexual or gender-based violence in the previous year, marking a peak since records began in 2017.
The alarming statistics continue, with 1,492 femicides recorded last year, the highest since the crime was codified in 2015. Juliana Martins, an expert on gender-based violence, commented on the troubling rise not only in numbers but also in the brutality of the incidents. "We’re seeing an increase in numbers but also in the intensity and cruelty of violence," she noted. Additionally, more women are feeling empowered to speak out against violence directed at them, gaining visibility in public discourse. Martins remarked that social transformations aimed at achieving equal rights and representation have sparked violent backlash aimed at reasserting women's subordination.
As demonstrators in Rio de Janeiro displayed black crosses to commemorate the victims, many wore stickers saying "machismo kills" and donned green scarves linked to the demand for access to abortion. Highlighting personal stories, Evelyn Lucy da Luz, a 44-year-old educator, shared her experience of surviving an attempted femicide a decade ago. "I almost died, but I didn’t." Similarly, 79-year-old Lizete de Paula articulated that during the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro, who dismantled many public policies promoting women's rights, attitudes fostering misogyny were emboldened. "Women are increasingly entering new spaces and macho men can’t stand this," de Paula reflected.
João Pedro Cordaço, a father of three daughters, emphasized the role of men in combating misogyny. He stated that men must confront such attitudes not only during protests but also in everyday life. "Only then will we be able to put an end to – or at least reduce – the current violence against women," he said, underscoring the necessity for collective action to address and combat gender-based violence in Brazil.
