Maria da Penha Law Now Covers All Gender Violence, Brazil’s STF Rules
Brazil's Supreme Court unanimously extended the Maria da Penha Law's urgent protective measures to all gender-based violence against women, regardless of any domestic, family or intimate relationship between victim and aggressor. The post Maria da Penha Law Now Covers All Gender Violence, Brazil’s STF Rules appeared first on The Rio Times .
On 19 August 2026, Brazil's Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the Maria da Penha Law's urgent protective measures apply to all forms of gender-based violence against women, regardless of whether there is any domestic, family or intimate relationship between the victim and the aggressor. This landmark decision, reported by legal outlet Migalhas, extends the protection of Law 11.340 to any violence motivated by gender, whether it occurs in the home, workplace, community, institutions or politics.
The court also fixed three further theses, including the requirement for a judge to decide on urgent protective requests even if they lack jurisdiction over the case, and the ability of police delegates and agents to grant urgent measures in emergency situations. The ruling is binding on the entire Brazilian judiciary and specifically addresses political gender violence, which is a crime under article 326-B of the Electoral Code.
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