THE FEMALE SELF-DEFENSE AND THE REDUCTION OF FEMICIDE: IN THE BRAZILIAN AMAZON: NORMATIVE AND PROGRAMMATIC OVERVIEW IN NORTHERN BRAZIL

Abstract

This article analyzes female self-defense as a public policy to prevent violence against women (VAW) and feminicide in the Northern Region of Brazil, with an emphasis on the state of Amazonas. The problem investigated is to what extent female self-defense programs are institutionalized in the states of the region and to what extent their supply and continuity are associated with variations in femicide rates in the period 2021-2025. The general objective is to examine the normative framework, the programmatic offer and the possible association between these programs and indicators of lethal gender-based violence. The methodology is qualitative and quantitative descriptive, documentary and bibliographic in nature, with analysis of secondary data from the Brazilian Public Security Forum (FBSP, 2026). The results highlight an emerging normative framework, with specific legislation in Acre, Amapá and Amazonas, and programmatic heterogeneity between the states. Amazonas, with the largest scale and continuous program in the region, recorded the lowest regional femicide rate in 2025 (0.9 per 100,000 women) and an accumulated reduction of 16.3% in the period. It is concluded that continuous, integrated and territorially comprehensive programs tend to be associated with more favorable trajectories in feminicide indicators, without, however, exhausting the multifactorial nature of the phenomenon.