Operations arrest 21,700 suspects of violence against women in 2026; 9,000 warrants remain open

Security forces arrested 21,756 people for crimes related to violence against women in 2026, either caught in the act or through the execution of court warrants, within the framework of two nationally mobilized operations. Despite this, the country still has 9,032 outstanding arrest warrants.

According to the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, 17,266 arrests were made in flagrante delicto and 4,490 through the execution of arrest warrants during the first and second phases of Operation Safe Woman, which reached 4,379 municipalities across all states of the federation.

The first phase took place from February 19 to March 5, and the second from June 1 to July 27. Some of the data was presented by the ministry on Wednesday (29), during an event at the Centro Integrado Mulher Segura (Integrated Safe Woman Center). The facility was created to integrate, coordinate and monitor the support network for women victims of violence across the country.

Among the crimes that led to the arrests are threats, bodily harm, rape, violation of emergency protective orders, stalking, psychological violence, femicide, attempted femicide, and others.

Among the arrest records is one case of vicarious homicide, a crime whose legal classification was approved by Congress this year, in which the aggressor harms or kills a person close to the woman — such as children, relatives or dependents — with the aim of causing her emotional suffering, exerting control over her, or punishing her.

Data obtained by Folha shows that the country still has 9,032 outstanding arrest warrants related to violence against women. The highest concentration is in São Paulo (21.1%), followed by Minas Gerais (7.1%), Paraná (6.8%), Maranhão (5%) and Bahia (4.8%).

According to the National Secretary of Public Security, Chico Lucas, the arrest of aggressors is a fundamental factor in combating violence against women. The main difficulty lies in executing older arrest warrants, as the fugitives involved have often built entirely new lives.

To overcome this, the government is enriching the National Arrest Warrant Database with public address data and information from private partners, and is funding officers specifically for the execution of these warrants through daily allowances under Operation Safe Woman.

"Thanks to the enrichment of the database and the integration between agencies, it was possible to arrest in the interior of the Northeast a man who had committed a homicide — now classified as femicide — more than 20 years ago in São Paulo," he said.

As Folha had previously reported, the Ministry of Justice and Public Security also presented data pointing to a 2.5% drop in femicide cases across the country in the first half of this year.

Brazil recorded 741 femicide victims between January and June 2026, compared to 760 deaths in the same period last year. In absolute numbers, that represents 19 fewer victims. The data shows, however, that the reduction did not occur uniformly across the country. Nine states recorded an increase in the number of femicides during the period.

In light of this situation, the federal government has stepped up its efforts to try to curb this type of crime. This year, it launched the National Pact Brazil against Femicide, an initiative that seeks to strengthen the protection network for victims and improve the state's response to gender-based violence.

"Even though we have not reached the ideal numbers, those we desired, there is an important piece of data: the growth curve observed over the last ten years has been reversed into a small decline of 2.5%," the secretary said during the event.

"Faced with a scenario in which the trend was one of continuous increase, this gives us the impression that this is the right path: integration, joint work and coordinated actions among all branches of government and, above all, with society as a whole," he added.

The event was attended by ministers Wellington César Lima e Silva (Justice and Public Security), Márcia Lopes (Women), Wellington Dias (Social Development and Assistance, Family and Hunger Combat), Alexandre Padilha (Health), Leonardo Barchini (Education), and José Guimarães (Institutional Relations).

The agenda also included First Lady Janja Lula da Silva, Representative Gleisi Hoffmann and various members of the Ministry of Justice.

The First Lady said that, beyond the statistical data on the reduction of violence, the greatest achievement is the visibility of the issue. She argued that the topic now permeates television programs, newspapers and social circles, lending it greater importance.

"We placed [the issue of violence against women] at the center of the discussion, we put women's lives on the table, we placed the question of 'enough' at the heart of the country's debate," said the First Lady.