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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

Brazilian domestic violence legislation, autonomous women's groups, feminists, government

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Political Science

Abstract

During the 1980s Brazil made unprecedented advancements in the area of domestic violence. It was the first country to open women’s police stations staffed by female police officers and established an executive council where feminists could discuss policies for problems like violence against women. Yet, despite these early achievements which sprang from a strong women’s movement, Brazil remains one of only three countries in Latin America without a law prohibiting violence against women. The purpose of the ORCA research was to determine the effectiveness of the two-pronged strategy for domestic violence legislation, characterized by women simultaneously pressuring inside and outside the government, used from the 1980s to the present. Through my research I concluded that the twopronged approach is not obsolete; instead, women are not maximizing the potential of their pressure points inside or outside the government.

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