UNODC and Ministry of Justice of Brazil released updated edition of the Technical Norm for Specialized Police Stations on Assistance to Women

September 14, 2010 - Standardizing procedures and ensuring compliance with Maria da Penha Law and international agreements. The Ministry of Justice of Brazil, through the National Secretariat of Public Security, the Department of Protection of Women and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, UNODC, launched the updated edition of the Technical Norm for the Standardization of Specialized Police Stations on Assistance to Women (DEAMs).

From now on, the 475 Specialized Police Stations on Assistance to Women in the country, have access to a number of standardized procedures that seek to improve services, efficiency, the structure of these stations and the collection of information on the profile of violence against women in the country. "Knowing the problem is the first step to fight it. We still have much difficulty in terms of statistics on violence against women, in the level of comparability that we might have on the national stage to monitor crimes against women in the way we should have", said Secretary of Policies Women, Nilcéa Freire.

The duties of the DEAMs in relation to the victim are: humanized assistance and a hearing in a qualified manner, secretive and not judgmental, police protection, providing health facilities and forensic medical examination; transportation and shelter to victims and their families and support for the removal of objects of the victim.
Regarding the perpetrator, the Technical Norm directs professionals to suspend the carrying of weapons or restrict the carrying of weapons, to prohibit their approximation of the victim as well as of frequenting the same places, leave home and provide food.

According to UNODC´s representative for Brazil and Southern Cone, Bo Mathiasen, the revision of the Technical Norm is one step closer to Brazil in building a more just society. "Brazil has made progress in addressing violence against women. We know that there is still much to do, but today we take another step in a process that has no return. Our main objective is to build a society in which women are respected and protected and in this sense Brazil has managed to give basic steps", said Bo Mathiasen during the event, held at the Ministry of Justice of Brazil.
The review of the Technical Norm was funded by UNODC through the project Strengthening of Police Stations for Women and Civil Society in Fighting Gender Violence in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay.

The Publication

Ten thousand copies of the publication will be distributed to the Specialized in Women Attention Police Stations, Focal Point Centers for Women and Defense Courts for Women Experiencing Domestic Violence.

The first edition of the Technical Norm was launched by the Ministry of Justice and the Secretariat for Policies for Women, in 2006, but with the enactment of the Maria da Penha Law in the same year, a new comprehensive policy was established to address domestic and gender violence in the country. It also created new responsibilities for public authorities, including DEAMs. The document was reformulated and adapted to meet international standards and obligations of the Brazilian State.

The publication is divided into five chapters, including the regulatory framework established by the new legislation, the role of DEAMs in the structure of the public security system and policy modernization of the civil police, the principles of consistent DEAMs with the Maria da Penha Act, the role of stakeholders, the resources needed to implement the National Agreement to Counter Violence Against Women and the role of DEAMs regarding preventive measures and the strengthening of the attention network of violence against women. To access the Technical Norm click here.

All stories