Da delegacia da mulher à Lei Maria da Penha: Absorção/tradução de demandas feministas pelo Estado

This article examines the responses of the State to feminist demands to combat domestic violence against women in Brazil since the mid-1980s. Three periods of institutional change are identified which have directly or indirectly shaped and reflected the contexts for state action: the creation of the first women’s police stations in 1985, the emergence of the Juizados Especiais Criminais (Special Criminal Courts) in 1995, and the passing of Law 11.340 in 2006, known as the Maria da Penha Law. These moments reflect the interaction between multiple socio-political forces, marking the currents and counter-currents of public policies and feminist campaigns. Their analysis, which aims to serve as a contribution towards feminist theories of the State within the Latin American context, reveals the different forms of state action and the various levels of absorption/translation/betrayal/silencing of feminist demands