Brazilian Women in Favelas Turn to Martial Arts Amid Rising Gender Violence
In a martial arts studio at the entrance to one of Rio de Janeiro's beachside favelas, muay thai instructor Ana Paula Lima teaches a group of young women essential self-defense techniques. The women learn how to avoid blows, protect their heads while falling, and break free from arm grabs. "Women are vulnerable," Lima tells her students, "but we don't have to be helpless."
Growing Demand for Self-Defense Training
Sabrina Fortunato, a 19-year-old law student, is among the 30 women who attended a free self-defense class organized by the civil rights organization Instituto de Defesa da População Negra and Rio city hall. "I'm looking for a way of feeling more physically safe," Fortunato explains. "The news is shocking and makes women feel unsafe in their own country, in their own home."
Gender-based violence in Brazil has reached alarming levels. A 2025 survey revealed that 37.5% of women experienced some form of violence in the previous year, including verbal and physical abuse, sexual violence, and stalking. This represents a significant increase from 28.6% in the same survey conducted eight years earlier.
The number of femicides has risen dramatically, with 1,568 cases recorded in 2025, marking a 14.5% increase over five years. Shockingly, in 16 of Brazil's 27 states, 13% of femicide victims had restraining orders against their killers at the time of their deaths.
Women's Response to Systemic Failure
While women have organized nationwide protests to condemn this violence and the state's failure to prevent it, many are also taking personal measures to protect themselves. Self-defense sports have become increasingly popular among Brazilian women seeking empowerment and safety.
"Back in 2019, there weren't many initiatives that worked on self-defense as a tool for prevention and strengthening women," says Érica Paes, a former MMA athlete who founded Empoderadas. This state-wide program in Rio offers self-defense classes along with legal and psychological aid to survivors of domestic violence. Since its inception seven years ago, 35,000 women have utilized its services.
Market research indicates that six in every ten Brazilian women either practice or want to take up a combat sport, with more than half citing self-protection as their primary motivation.
Building Confidence Through Combat Sports
Women who engage in combat sports report significant improvements in confidence and physical awareness. Mariana Rocha, a 38-year-old nutritionist, began practicing jiujitsu after her local studio introduced women-only classes. "Jiujitsu teaches you to walk differently, to pay attention to things, to keep your hands free to avoid an assault or even an unwelcome embrace," Rocha explains.
Rocha reflects on a particularly brutal domestic violence case that shocked Brazil last year, where a man was recorded hitting his girlfriend more than 60 times in a lift. "I can't help thinking; if she'd had even basic notions of how to protect herself, she might not have suffered as much."
Root Causes and Societal Challenges
Samira Bueno, executive director of the Brazilian Forum on Public Safety, identifies the influence of misogynistic online communities known as the manosphere as a significant factor behind the growing violence against women. Several high-profile cases have highlighted this disturbing trend.
In one incident, an 18-year-old gang-rape suspect surrendered to police wearing a T-shirt with the phrase "Regret Nothing," a catchphrase associated with misogynistic influencer Andrew Tate. In another case, text messages from a senior military police officer accused of shooting his wife revealed he described himself as an "alpha male" who expected his wife to be "an obedient and submissive beta female."
Just before International Women's Day in March, Brazilians were horrified by a TikTok trend where men filmed themselves making violent gestures after simulated marriage proposals, with captions reading: "Training in case she says no." Police launched investigations into this content, which TikTok removed for violating community guidelines.
Legal Responses and Their Limitations
Citing "structural" and "growing" hatred against women, Brazil's senate approved a bill to classify misogyny as a hate crime in late March. The legislation must still pass the lower house to become law. The government has also updated the 2006 Maria da Penha domestic violence law to enhance protections for victims.
While these measures represent important steps forward, Bueno notes that laws often fall short due to insufficient investment in public policy implementation. "Women feel unprotected and the state has failed them," she observes. "I think it's natural that women go after solutions such as self-defense."
Creating Support Networks Through Martial Arts
Milane Lobato, a 49-year-old muay thai teacher, turned to martial arts three decades ago after leaving an abusive relationship. "The law exists, but it's not enforced," she states bluntly. Lobato recently established a project offering free self-defense classes to women and girls in Rocinha, Rio's largest favela, recognizing the need for supportive spaces where women can find the protection that eludes them elsewhere.
One of Lobato's students, a 31-year-old mother of three who left an abusive partner after 15 years of physical, psychological, and sexual violence, describes the classes as more than just self-defense training. "It's not just about learning self-defense, it's a support network," she explains. Despite facing skepticism from police when reporting her abuse and continuing to fight for custody of her children, she finds solace in the community. "Surrounded by other women on the blue tatami mats in Rocinha, you feel welcomed, you feel protected."
As Brazilian women navigate increasing threats of gender-based violence, martial arts studios in favelas have become crucial spaces for physical training, psychological support, and community building. These initiatives represent both a response to systemic failures and a powerful assertion of women's right to safety and self-determination in their own communities.
