Femicide prevention policies and intersectionality

Abstract

This article presents the result of regression analysis of 34 cases of femicide in context of domestic and family violence against women in the Federal District, Brazil, between 2016 and 2017. The regression analysis was based on judicial and health files, and semi-structured surveys, with mixed a quantitative and qualitative method. It used the intersectional theoretical framework to carry out a thematic analysis on how primary and secondary prevention policies could have contributed to avoid these deaths. This research documented that all cases were related to sexist representation of women as men's property and of the male authority in the family. Black women on precarious social conditions is overwhelmingly most cases. It highlights the need of mainstreaming gender, race and class in prevention policies to face gender violence. This research has also highlighted areas of improvement on health policies, such as the need of compulsory notification and articulation with specialised psychosocial services for women and men, health for mothers and babies, interventions for alcohol and other drugs abuse, mental health and suicide, teenager pregnancy, as well as security plans for risky contexts. The paper provides an original contribution in correlating the criminological profile of femicides and their history of interaction of services with the improvement of primary and secondar y prevention policies in Brazil.