GCRF_NF123: COVID-19, social distancing and violence against women in Brazil (BRAVE)

Domestic violence against women (DVAW) is a major issue in Brazil. It tends to disproportionally affect women of disadvantaged backgrounds, putting them at a higher risk of poverty and potentially increasing gender-based inequities. Commentators have linked social distancing measures introduced in Brazil to address the spread of COVID-19 to significant increases in DVAW cases, with similar reports in other countries. COVID-19 cases in Brazil are forecast to keep increasing, likely leading to further social distancing measures in the near future, making our research urgent to understand how policies can better protect vulnerable women and reduce the broader impacts of these measures to society. BRAVE seeks to understand how social distancing measures affect DVAW and assess the resulting societal costs of such effect. To this end, we will analyse information on DVAW and its link to social distancing adherence, poverty and the financial cost of DVAW to victims and society, focusing on Brazilian cities. We will also examine how public policies aimed at mitigating the negative consequences of social distancing influence DVAW, and how these policies could be refined to better address DVAW. We will work closely with both the local academic community and representatives of public and other organisations, to offer guidance to improve public policies for DVAW victims in the pandemic context, for Brazil and potentially other countries.