Brazil establishes penalties of up to 5 years for interrupting a woman

The Brazilian Senate approved this Wednesday a bill that incorporates misogyny into the Racism Act, equating it to other forms of discrimination. The initiative establishes sentences of between two and five years in prison, in addition to severe fines, for those who engage in behavior considered to be “hate” or “aversion”

to women.

The vote garnered broad support, with 67 votes in affirmative and none against, reflecting a strong political consensus in the upper house. However, the measure still needs to be debated in the Chamber of Deputies, where its final approval and possible drafting changes will be defined

.

The project introduces the “status of women” as a specific criterion within anti-discrimination legislation, together with factors such as race, color, religion or origin. Until now, cases of misogyny were treated under figures such as defamation or injury, with significantly lower penalties not exceeding one year in

prison.

Among the main drivers of the initiative is Senator Soraya Thronicke, who defended the need to advance tougher legislation. As he argued, the country registered nearly 7,000 attempts at femicide during 2025, which evidences — in his opinion — the seriousness of the problem. In addition, she warned of the proliferation of digital communities that promote “hate speech” against women and the need to develop censorship mechanisms

.

However, the initiative also generated criticism within the Senate itself. Senator Damares Alves stated that the figure should be incorporated into the Criminal Code and not into the Racism Act, to avoid possible overlaps

or legal ambiguities.

In turn, some parliamentarians warned of the risk that the rule could lead to broad interpretations that affect freedom of expression, especially in academic, religious or cultural spheres. The need to include more explicit safeguards to prevent abuse in their application was also mentioned

.

Despite these objections, supporters of the project emphasized that the Brazilian Constitution already guarantees freedom of expression, and that the rule aims exclusively to sanction concrete and verifiable hate behavior. Virtually, it is up to a judge's decision whether or not to sentence a man to prison for interrupting a woman in a meeting; conduct that may be categorized by some as

“misogynistic”.

Treatment in Deputies will be key to determining if the initiative remains in its current form or if changes are being introduced. If it moves forward without substantial modifications, Brazil would take a significant step in expanding its legal framework against discrimination, as well as in developing a new instrument that could lead to censorship

.