RIO DE JANEIRO, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Statistics show violence against women has been on the rise in Brazil, with killings of women rising by about 6.5 percent in 2017 in comparison with 2016, said local news website G1 on Wednesday.
According to a study published by the Brazilian Public Security Forum, women were murdered at a rate of 4.3 per 100,000 in Brazil last year.
The study said out of the 4,473 cases of violent deaths of women registered in Brazil last year, a total of 946 were caused by femicide, the gender-motivated killing of women, adding that the number of femicide has seen an increase even though tougher penalties have been set for those responsible for such crimes.
Brazil approved a law that criminalizes femicide in 2015 by former President Dilma Rousseff.
