The article presents the results of a study in which it was discussed the incident reports and police investigations, court processes and sentencing of crimes covered by Law 11.340/06, Maria da Penha's Law, that deal with women who are victims of domestic violence in the city of São Borja in Rio Grande do Sul. It was characterized as descriptive-exploratory methodologically, and it focused on the Police Department and the Civil Forum of the city as fields of data collection. Despite the advances of this Law, the results suggest that it has not been effective to prevent violence against women.
Gender; Domestic Violence; Legal Protection
