Violence against women: an analysis of the Brazili... - BV FAPESP
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Violence against women: an analysis of the Brazilian experience

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Author(s):
Bruna Pugialli da Silva Borges
Total Authors: 1
Document type: Master's Dissertation
Press: São Paulo.
Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Economia, Administração e Contabilidade (FEA/SBD)
Defense date:
Examining board members:
Naercio Aquino Menezes Filho; Vladimir Pinheiro Ponczek; Fabiana Fontes Rocha
Advisor: Naercio Aquino Menezes Filho
Abstract

Violence against women is a serious national problem, despite all the efforts made by the Brazilian Government in the last decade to confront this type of violence. The enactment of Maria da Penha Law, in 2006, represented a major breakthrough in legal protection in cases of domestic violence. However, the thorough implementation of the law is subject to the existence of Specialized Support Services to Women, such as specialized courts and police stations, shelters, etc., and the scope of these services in municipalities is still limited. Using a panel of municipalities, the aim of this work is to evaluate whether the municipalities where there are Courts of Domestic and Familiar Violence Against Women presented a drop in violence against women, assuming that these cities had a better enforcement of the Maria da Penha Law. Municipal distribution of specialized courts is obtained through the Survey of Basic Municipal Information 2009, from IBGE. To measure violence against women, we used the number of women\'s hospitalizations whose cause is aggression, gathered from the Ministry of Health, through the System of Hospital Information. The methodology used in the investigation of the causal effects of the Maria da Penha Law is the differences-in-differences estimator with Propensity Score Matching. The results suggest a decrease in violence against women in municipalities where the courts were implemented. Furthermore, the results indicate that the effect of the courts on violence is potentiated in the presence of other support services to battered women. We conclude that a greater dissemination of specialized courts, combined with an expansion of other support services to battered women, will increase the effectiveness of the Maria da Penha Law, helping Brazil to advance in combating violence against women. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 12/18194-3 - Violence against women: an analysis of the Brazilian experience
Grantee:Bruna Pugialli da Silva Borges
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master