A violência doméstica e familiar em Juiz de Fora (MG) e as políticas públicas: um estudo sobre o Programa Auxílio-Moradia

Abstract

This research focuses on the theme of domestic and family violence against women in Juiz de Fora (MG) and on the field of public policies. This violence is defined as a manifestation of gender-based violence, which stems from the dynamics of the domestic environment—though not restricted to it—and is the result of the power asymmetry between men and women. Juiz de Fora registered over 18,000 cases of domestic violence between 2021 and 2024, with a rate of 1,786 police reports per 100,000 inhabitants. This data was mapped to produce a cartographic representation of the spatial distribution of this crime in the city, which indicates, among other elements, that this violence occurs across all Urban Regions of the municipality. Various statistical data from the Civil Police of Minas Gerais were also tabulated and analyzed, seeking to describe the profile of both the victim and the crime. An intersectional approach allows for the evaluation of inequalities produced by the dominant structures of the Brazilian socio-spatial formation (capitalism, racism, and patriarchy), which are further exacerbated by the urbanization process. In this regard, we also evaluated the Housing Assistance Program (Programa Auxílio-Moradia), presenting quantitative and qualitative data on the women who access it to understand how these structural dynamics impact them and the role of public policies in addressing this crime. We adopt the perspective that understands public policies as the materialization of governmental intentions and the subject of constant disputes, of which programs represent only a fraction of the broader set of actions. It is concluded that the analyzed program fulfills its main objective of providing emergency assistance to the beneficiaries, but it still fails to reintegrate them into the labor market and cannot direct them toward a permanent housing solution. Despite significant progress in providing services for the combat, care, and protection of women compared to other Brazilian municipalities, Juiz de Fora still faces major challenges, requiring numerous actions to ultimately eradicate this type of violence. This includes a set of policies, including preventive ones, given that the complexity of this problem does not allow it to be solved by a single program.