Brazil’s Senate Approves New Crime of Vicaricide With Up to 40 Years in Prison

Overview

• The Senate, which passed the bill Wednesday, sent the proposal to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for sanction.
• The bill defines vicaricide as killing a child, parent, stepchild or dependent of a woman to cause her suffering in a domestic context, and it adds “violência vicária” to the Maria da Penha law and the Penal Code.
• The offense is labeled a heinous crime with 20 to 40 years in prison plus a fine, which in Brazil brings tighter limits on bail, pardons and early release.
• Penalties rise by one third when the killing happens in the woman’s presence, targets a child, elder or person with a disability, or violates an urgent protective order.
• Authored in the Chamber by Deputy Laura Carneiro and reshaped in the Senate by Margareth Buzetti as an autonomous offense, the push gained urgency after the February Itumbiara case, as backers said it closes a legal gap and a few lawmakers argued for gender‑neutral wording.