Domestic violence in Brazil: social problems and legislative interventions

Recent statistical data confirms that domestic violence is a structural problem of exceptional gravity. We analyze the frequent legislative changes in Brazil since 2000 as a result of social pressure for protection of abused women. Only the Law 11.340 of 2006 was well received by lawyers, judges and the public opinion. We present the innovations and peculiarities of this statute and the allegations on unconstitutionality. We discuss cases of judicial review of this law and reject the arguments of unconstitutionality. That notwithstanding, we argue that penalization decisions is the wrong way from a criminological point of view because they do not take into consideration the desires and needs of the victims.

Disputing the application of laws: the constitutionality of the Brazilian Statute against domestic violence in the courts

This study aimed to map the key positions regarding the constitutionality of the Maria da Penha Law (Law 11.340/2006) in the Brazilian judicial system. The law, the result of political struggles by the Brazilian feminist movement, has been the subject of discussions in the public sphere and actions aimed at consolidating its constitutionality before the Federal Supreme Court. We examined and discussed the arguments used in the Courts, intending to show that the creation of law is not limited to the legislative moment, but rather that its social meaning is also constituted through disputes within the Judiciary.

A model of rural conflict : violence and land reform policy in Brazil

In the past ten years the struggle for land in Brazil has taken the shape of invasions of private land by welI organized groups of land less squatters. It is argued in this paper that these invasions and the resulting contlicts are a direct response to the land reform program which has been adopted by the govemment since 1985. which is based on the expropriation of farms and the creation of settlement projects. The set of formal and informal institutions which compromise the land reform program are used as the background for a game-theory model of rural contlicts. T estable implications are derived trom this model with particular emphasis on the etfect of policy variables on violence. These are then tested with panel data at state levei from 1988 to 1995. - It is shown that govemment policy which has the intent of reducing the amount of violence has the opposite etfect of leading to more incentives for contlicts.

An economic model of gun control

Guns stolen from law-abiding households provide the principal source of guns for criminals. The lethality of crime instruments increases with the availability of guns, so the gun market is subject to externalities that generate excessive ownership and inadequate spending on protective measures to deter gun theft. One motive for gun ownership is self defense, and the gun market is subject to coordination failure: the more guns purchased lawfully, the more will be stolen by criminals, so the greater the incentive for lawful . consumers to purchase guns for self defense. As a result, there may be multiple equilibria in the gun market and more than one equilibrium crime rate. We show that a simple refundable deposit for guns will internalize the externalities in the gun market and may cause large downward jumps in gun ownership, the lethality of crime instruments, and the social costs of crime.

Al-based anodic oxide films structure observation using field emission gun scanning electron microscopy

In the present work, the anodic oxide films of Al, Al-Cu 4.5% and Al-Si 6.5% alloys are formed using direct and pulse current. In the case of Al-Cu and Al-Si alloys, the electrolyte used contains sulfuric acid and oxalic acid, meanwhile for Al the electrolyte contains sulfuric acid only. Al-Cu alloy was submitted to a heat treatment in order to decrease the effect of inter metallic phase theta upon the anodic film structure. Fractured samples were observed using a field emission gun scanning electron microscope JSM-6330F at (LME)/Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS), Campinas, SP, Brazil. The oxide film images enable evaluation of the pore size and form with a resolution similar to the transmission electron microscope (TEM) resolution. It is also observed that the anodizing process using pulse current produces an irregular structure of pore walls, and by direct cur-rent it is produced a rectilinear pore wall. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Giving up reporting the aggressor: reports of female victims of domestic violence

The goal of this study is to describe the experience of female victims of domestic violence, who forfeited the lawsuits against their aggressors. The interviews were oriented by the question: What was your experience of forfeiting the denunciation of your aggressor? Three themes emerged from the convergence of the testimonies: time passed from the aggression to the denunciation and then to the forfeiting; the partner, the family, the women's precinct; reflecting about the experience, which described the studied phenomenon. The women expressed ambiguous feelings for their aggressor: affection, anger, humiliation and fear. They recognize that they are dominated and humiliated, but notions of justice and equality between spouses do not appear in the testimonies. Forfeiting can be understood in the context of the reproduction of the traditional family structure, conditioned to economic and social factors. Results highlight implications about the role of the Women's Precinct and the healthcare institutions in the care for women who were victims of domestic violence.

The influence of gun transverse speed on electrochemical behaviour of thermally sprayed Cr3C2-NiCr coatings in 0.5 M H2SO4 solution

In the present study, different types of 75% Cr3C2-25% NiCr coatings were applied on a steel substrate by means of high velocity oxygen fuel spraying (HVOF), and studied using ac and dc electrochemical measurements in an aerated and unstirred 0.5 M H2SO4 solution. Structural characterization was determined before and after electrochemical tests. Differences between all sprayed systems are related to the gun transverse speed and number of deposited layers, which strongly affected the electrochemical characteristics of the coated steels. The coating obtained with a higher torch speed showed better resistance against corrosion. The electrochemical impedance results were analyzed using an equivalent circuit where porosity of the coatings and substrate oxidation were considered. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

No more!: the right of women to live a life free of violence in Latin America and the Caribbean

Includes bibliography

The United Nations Regional Commissions: Enhancing Capacities To Eradicate Violence Against Women

This study captures the significant regional and national knowledge that has been accumulated on measuring violence against women through the interregional project "Enhancing capacities to eradicate violence against women through networking of local knowledge communities". Supported by the United Nations Development Account, this two-year project was coordinated by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), through its Division for Gender Affairs, and implemented by the five regional commissions of the United Nations, in cooperation with the United Nations Statistical Division and UN-Women. Through the project, more than 30 countries worldwide have been engaged in the development, dissemination and testing of core indicators endorsed by the United Nations Statistical Commission. This process has made a decisive contribution to designing and building consensus around a common methodology to measure and document violence against women. Furthermore, the inclusion of all five regions in piloting the newly-developed tools to measure violence has also ensured that these tools capture a more comprehensive and complex vision of violence as experienced by women across cultures and regions. This report presents an overview of the activities that have taken place in the five regions, and outlines the key outcomes and lessons learned. Through its activities, the interregional project has made the cumulative body of existing knowledge in terms of policies, findings, innovative practices, processes and statistical data available to policymakers, activists and women's organizations. New knowledge was also produced through national studies that examined underexplored sources of data on violence against women. National capacities to collect information on violence against women through official statistics were strengthened through targeted training activities as well as through participation in expert meetings which provided the space for an effective exchange of best practices.

Exploring policy linkages between poverty, crime and violence: a look at three Caribbean states

Includes bibliography

Political violence and economic development in Latin America: issues and evidence

Includes bibliography

Gender-based violence: a human rights issue

Includes bibliography

Violencia en la pareja: tratamiento legal: evolución y balance = Violence within couples: legal treatment: review of progress and results

Incluye Bibliografía

Domestic violence against women in Latin America and the Caribbean: proposals for discussion

Includes bibliography