WCC FEATURE: Brazilian churches speak up as country hits new record of femicides: four women murdered every day

The number of femicides reached a record high in Brazil in 2025: 1,470 cases were recorded from January to December, according to data from the Ministry of Justice and Public Security. This total surpasses the 1,464 cases recorded in 2024, the highest number until then. Official femicide records indicate that, on average, four women were killed per day last year. Young women practice a play that recalls their troubled history in the Escola Sao Joao in Quilombo Tiningu, near Santarem, Brazil. Photo: Paul Jeffrey/Life on Earth 29 January 2026 Speaking on behalf of the Evangelical Church of Lutheran Confession in Brazil, Rev. Dr Mauro de Souza expressed deep concern and indignation over the increase in femicide rates in the country. “Each woman murdered represents a life brutally cut short, a serious violation of human dignity, and an attack on the gift of life granted by God,” he stated. “Femicide is the most extreme expression of a culture of inequality, domination, and machismo that directly contradicts the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” he added. The church released an official statement on 21 January: “Jesus Christ, in his life and ministry, broke oppressive structures, welcomed women, restored wounded dignity, and proclaimed the Kingdom of God as a space of justice, care, and fullness of life. Following Christ means taking a clear stand against all forms of violence, especially when it affects women and girls in a systematic and structural way,” reads the statement. “As a church, we reaffirm our commitment to denounce all forms of violence against women; to welcome and accompany victims and survivors; to promote, within our communities, education for relationships based on respect, equality, and mutual care; and to call upon public authorities to strengthen policies of prevention, protection, and accountability, recognizing that the State is called to serve justice and preserve life.” The legal classification of femicide in Brazil was created in 2015, when 535 deaths were recorded – an increase of 316% over ten years. The Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil also expressed deep concern and indignation in response to the recently released data on the increase in femicides in the country. Rev. Elineide Oliveira, a member of the church’s National Diakonia Commission, stated that this scenario reveals not only the tragedy of lives cut short, but also the persistence of a structural sin expressed in patriarchal culture, gender inequality, and the normalization of violence against women. “Each femicide is an affront to the sacredness of life and an open wound in the body of Christ. As a church committed to justice, we affirm: women’s lives are sacred and nonnegotiable,” she said. “Diakonia demands concrete action. We call on our communities to strengthen networks of welcome, protection, and support for women experiencing violence. Churches must be safe spaces of listening and pastoral care.” “Education for peace is a path of transformation. We reaffirm our commitment to educational practices that promote egalitarian relationships, dismantle violent masculinities, and challenge religious interpretations that legitimize submission or silencing,” she added. The alarming Brazilian scenario is connected to cases that continue to emerge in 2026, involving the murder of women initially classified under other criminal categories, attempts to erase the gender-based motivation of the crimes, and cases reaching jury trials involving former partners –  including situations in which the victims were pregnant. WCC member churches in Brazil See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa.  Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland