GBV, land rights and extractive industries in Brazil

A new report by the Ending Violence Against Women and Children Helpdesk explores the intersections between GBV, land tenure and resource extraction. This rapid review reveals widespread sexual violence and exploitation in mining zones, agribusiness frontiers, and dam construction sites, as well as various forms of violence targeted at women land and environmental defenders.

Key insights in the report include:

• Dispossession and displacement increase exposure to trafficking, forced marriage and sexual exploitation, particularly among Indigenous, Quilombola, Afro-Brazilian, migrant, and rural women.

• Secure land tenure emerges as a vital protective factor for reducing GBV risks. Although Brazil’s legal framework provides equal property rights, only 5.% of agricultural land is registered to women.

• The report observes how entrenched social norms, weak documentation of land rights, and political resistance undermine women’s land access and exacerbate risks of GBV.

• Promising responses include stronger enforcement of national laws, policy reforms such as integrating land rights into femicide prevention, and grassroots women’s collectives defending land and documenting violence. Several examples are also shared of responsible business and corporate accountability.