Feminicide in Minas Gerais, Brazil: from characterization of events to spatiotemporal analysis

Abstract

This study characterizes feminicides taking place in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, and compare the trends in feminicide and female homicide rates across the 89 health microregions of the state. A cross-sectional ecological study was conducted using data on feminicides from 2016 to 2020, consolidated by the Minas Gerais Prosecutor’s Office. Feminicide and female homicide rates per 100,000 females were estimated according to the health microregions. Public data from the Brazilian Mortality Information System were used for the estimation of female homicide rates. An analysis was conducted on microregions with high feminicide rates correlated with neighboring microregions with high and low female homicide rates, using Bivariate Moran’s Local Indice. A multivariate scan model was also applied to multiple data sets, in order to simultaneously identify clusters of feminicide and female homicide that coincided in time and space. A total of 698 feminicides were identified during the period, distributed across 19 health microregions. During the period, female homicide rates were higher than those of feminicide. Stability in the risk of feminicide and a decreasing trend in the risk of female homicides were observed across the health microregions of Minas Gerais. In 11 microregions, the number of feminicides exceeded the number of female homicides. The results highlighted weaknesses in the determination of the underlying cause of death for females, affecting the quality of homicide records.

Keywords:
Gender-Based Violence; Spatio-Temporal Analysis; Public Policy; Safety; Homicide