Policies for the Prevention and Reduction of Femicide in the Federal District

an analysis of the role of the Specialized Center for Women's Assistance (CEAM)

Abstract

This study analyzes the role of the Specialized Center for Women’s Assistance (Centro Especializado de Atendimento à Mulher – CEAM) within the network for addressing violence against women, assessing its contribution to the prevention of femicides in the Federal District (FD) between 2019 and 2025. The research adopts a qualitative and quantitative approach, combining documentary analysis of the Final Report of the Parliamentary Inquiry Commission (CPI) on Femicide and district-level regulations, semi-structured interviews with staff members of the Subsecretariat for Confronting Violence against Women (SUBEV) and CEAM, as well as statistical data from the 19th Brazilian Yearbook of Public Security and the Study of Completed Femicides in the Federal District. The results indicate that, at the national level, femicide rates have remained relatively stable, although their proportion in relation to female homicides has increased. In the Federal District, cases are concentrated in peripheral regions, predominantly affecting Black women, in domestic settings and affective-conjugal relationships marked by prior violence. From an institutional perspective, advances are observed in the expansion of the service network; however, weaknesses persist, such as limited intersectoral coordination, insufficient monitoring of protective measures, low integration among information systems, staff overload, and the absence of stable institutional workflows. It is concluded that CEAM is a strategic service whose preventive potential remains conditioned by institutional and operational limitations.