On 11 August the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) sent a message of congratulations to the Brazilian government following the country's adoption of the Domestic and Family Violence Law.

Under the new law, men responsible for acts of violence against female family members – whether committed in the home or elsewhere – will now face arrest and possible imprisonment.

The new law carries the name of a woman from the northeastern state of Ceará, Maria da Penha Maia Fernandes, herself the victim of severe domestic violence and subsequently the plaintiff in a well-known and long-running court case. She has become a symbolic figure in the fight against domestic violence, both in Brazil and abroad.

The IACHR emphasized its recognition of "the participatory process that led to the development of this law, including the essential role of civil society organizations working to defend and protect women's rights".

Source: Special Secretariat for Human Rights — Office of the President