Thematic Section Call for Papers – 20 Years of the Maria da Penha Law
The Maria da Penha Law, the result of the successful feminist advocacy of a network of feminist organizations (now known as the Maria da Penha Law Consortium), has been recognized by organizations within the Global Human Rights System as one of the most innovative legal and normative models in the world for combating domestic and family violence against women and girls. The main reason for this recognition lies in its understanding that domestic and family violence against women and girls constitutes a form of gender-based human rights violation that aggravates inequalities and reproduces multiple and intersectional forms of discrimination. Based on this premise, the Maria da Penha Law advocates a comprehensive response model that combines accountability for the aggressor with the guarantee of rights for women, generally implemented through public policies in the areas of health, education, food security, culture, leisure, sports, employment, income, housing, and citizenship. Its proper implementation therefore depends not on exclusively judicial or merely criminal responses, but rather on a framework of public policies that are primarily social in nature.
Over nearly 20 years of the law’s existence, a substantial body of studies has pointed to the expansion of actions, resources, and services throughout the national territory, involving the three branches of government at all three levels. However, this literature also provides robust evidence regarding the discontinuous and precarious character of such expansion, as well as the reproduction of multiple and intersectional forms of discrimination and inequality that shape women’s and girls’ access to the right to live free from violence. Likewise, international literature on domestic and family violence against women and girls has highlighted the ambiguous and complex effects on related public policies stemming from recent dynamics such as democratic backsliding, the rise of autocratic governments and parties, and the advance of neoliberalism.
This dossier seeks to bring together research offering a critical assessment of the agents, processes, and institutions that have shaped the implementation of the aforementioned law over the past 20 years, as well as the challenges and advances in combating domestic and family violence in other countries and regions around the world. The dossier welcomes articles that engage, for example, with the following questions: What is the main evidence regarding the role of public agents in the justice system, the Legislative branch, and the Executive branch in implementing the Maria da Penha Law and other laws addressing domestic and family violence? What are the main persistent inequalities and forms of discrimination in the implementation dynamics of public services aimed at combating domestic and family violence? What evidence exists regarding the quality of access to justice for women experiencing domestic violence? What has been the impact of legislative changes in this field on the comprehensive, human-rights-based response model advocated by the law? What are the challenges related to public budgeting for policies combating domestic and family violence, considering the Brazilian federalist model? How can we advance data analysis for jurimetric studies and the use of artificial intelligence in this field while considering the ethical and political dimensions involved? What social agendas and experiences exist within feminist and anti-racist movements—particularly at regional and global scales—in addressing domestic and family violence?
Given the academic maturity of the field, the dossier will not accept:
- Contributions that are strictly descriptive of Law No. 11.340/2006;
- Literature review articles that do not present original critical analysis or new empirical findings;
- Texts addressing domestic and family violence without the use of gender and/or intersectionality theoretical frameworks;
- Professional experience reports or service descriptions that are not grounded in a scientific research methodology or that do not contribute to an integrated and critical analysis of policies combating domestic and family violence against women and girls.
Revista Direito Público values academic excellence and the inclusion of Brazilian debate within the global scenario. In this sense, the dossier strongly values and encourages the submission of articles authored by foreign scholars or resulting from international collaborations and comparative research.
Submission Deadline: November 4, 2026
Cristiane Brandão Augusto – Associate Professor at the National Faculty of Law (FND/UFRJ), the Graduate Program in Public Policies in Human Rights (PPDH/UFRJ), and the Graduate Program in Administrative Justice (PPGJA/UFF). Coordinator of the Research and Study Group on Gender Violence (PEVIGE) and the Latin American Observatory of Justice in Femicide (OLJF). Co-coordinator of the Rio de Janeiro Femicide Observatory and the Popular Legal Promoters Course – RJ.
Fabiana Cristina Severi – Full Professor in the Department of Public Law at the Ribeirão Preto Law School of the University of São Paulo (USP). At the undergraduate level, she teaches courses on Law and Gender Relations, General Theory of the State, Human Rights, and Constitutional Law. She conducts research and extension activities related to feminist legal critique, women’s access to justice, and democratic theories. Leader of the USP Research Group on Human Rights, Democracy, and Inequalities. Member of the Maria da Penha Law Consortium for ending gender-based violence against women. Participated in the 2021–2022 Sabbatical Program at the USP Institute for Advanced Studies. Participated in the Fellowship Program at the University of Münster (Dec/2022–Mar/2023). Coordinated the Feminist Rewriting of Judicial Decisions Project – Brazil, composed of a network of Brazilian researchers and scholars from various regions of the country, from 2021 to May 2023.
Fabiane Simioni – Holds a PhD in Law from UFRGS, a Master’s degree in Law from PUCRS, and a degree in Legal and Social Sciences from UNISINOS. Completed a postdoctoral internship in International Relations at UFSC, focusing on interdisciplinary approaches to human rights and inequalities. Associate Professor at the Federal University of Rio Grande (FURG), teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in the Graduate Program in Law and Social Justice, with emphasis on empirical research methods in Law. Has experience supervising undergraduate research and graduate students, contributing to the training of human resources in applied research. Leader of the Laboratory for Access to Justice and Human Rights Research Group (LAJUH/FURG/CNPq). Participates in national academic networks such as the Empirical Legal Studies Network and the Feminist Network for Teaching, Research, and Extension in Law, as well as the Latin American Network of Legal Scholars (Red ALAS). Has a consolidated trajectory articulating academic research and practical action, with more than a decade of experience in civil society organizations focused on promoting human rights and combating gender violence. Participated in and coordinated projects funded by national and international organizations, including initiatives supported by the Google Impact Challenge Brazil, the UN Women Fund for Gender Equality, and the UN Fund to End Violence against Women. Conducts interdisciplinary research on women’s human rights, access to justice, inequalities, and violence, with emphasis on empirical methods and multilevel analyses (local, regional, and global). Has experience in training and capacity building for justice system professionals, including coordinating projects focused on combating violence against women and girls (FUNDATEC, Themis, Institute for Access to Justice).
