The Brazilian Chamber of Deputies approved a regime of urgency on July 1, 2026, for a bill that criminalizes misogyny [1, 2].
This legislative move accelerates the voting process in the plenary, signaling a shift in how Brazil intends to handle gender-based hatred. By treating misogyny as a serious crime, the government aims to integrate it into the existing legal framework used to combat systemic discrimination.
The bill proposes that acts of misogyny be equated to racism [2, 3]. This legal classification would allow the judiciary to apply penalties similar to those used in racial discrimination cases, reflecting a legislative intent to treat hatred based on gender with the same severity as hatred based on race [3, 4].
Under the proposed legislation, individuals found guilty of misogyny could face prison sentences ranging from two to five years [1, 2]. The urgency regime means the bill can bypass certain committee delays and move directly to a vote by the full assembly of deputies in Brasília [1, 3].
The move follows efforts to strengthen the anti-discrimination legal framework in Brazil. By establishing specific prison terms for misogynistic acts, the bill seeks to create a more robust deterrent against gender-based violence, and hate speech [1, 4].
The Chamber of Deputies is now positioned to decide whether this legal framework becomes national law, which would change the penal code regarding gender-based crimes [2, 3].
“The bill proposes that acts of misogyny be equated to racism.”
Equating misogyny with racism in Brazilian law would elevate gender-based hate to a non-bailable and potentially imprescriptible status, depending on how the racism laws are applied. This represents a legal pivot toward treating gender-based hatred not merely as an aggravating factor in violence, but as a distinct crime against the collective dignity of women.
