RIO DE JANEIRO, March 14 – Brazil on Wednesday unveiled a plan to invest US$135 million to build shelters for female victims of domestic violence in all state capitals nationwide, Xinhua news agency reported. The programme called ‘Women: Living without Violence’ also calls for improving medical treatment for victims at the facilities known as ‘House of the
Brazilian Women’ and expanding an emergency hotline.
An average of 10 Brazilian women fell victims to sexual abuse every hour last year, according to a government estimate.
“Women will have access to all public services, including security, healthcare and social assistance in a single place,” President Dilma Rousseff said of the new initiative.
In mid-2006, then President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed a law over domestic and family violence which tripled previous punishments for those convicted of violence against women and also created special courts in all states.
BERNAMA
