Facing the violence, a virus and a president: Notes on successful practices in combating violence against women and feminicide in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract The article aimed to develop an argumentative reflection on how the positions of the former Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, may have had negative effects on the lives of women exposed to violence and the risk of femicide, especially considering the pandemic period. First, advances in recent decades in terms of legislation and programs to protect women victims of violence in Brazil are described. Next, we discuss how Bolsonaro’s policies, such as the defense of the population’s armament, aggravate the scenario and represent a setback in terms of public policies aimed at women’s rights, mainly due to the experiences arising from the period of social isolation. Even with this context, in the last part, we present some initiatives, from civil society and other segments, which have resisted and faced the alarming rates that have emerged in the country, especially in cases of femicide. The future analysis of these experiences can bring lessons on how to intervene in cases where victims remain for long periods in the presence of the aggressor, as well as they can bring us important lessons about the power of a society and groups that strongly oppose the speeches of a leader policy concerning women’s fundamental rights.