After sexist speech, Lula now promises ‘war’ on violence against women

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) said on Saturday morning (20) that he intends to start a “war” to combat violence against women. The PT member’s statement was made during the PT Convention in São Bernardo do Campo (SP), a city that is considered one of the birthplaces of PT and where the party will launch state deputy Luiz Fernando (PT-SP) as a candidate for mayor. Lula’s speech is a response to the criticism that the PT member has received in recent days, after a sexist speech on Tuesday (16).

“Violence has increased a lot, violence against women is very high. And we are going to wage war. We are going to wage war,” said Lula in São Bernardo. According to the president, he learned from his own mother, Dona Lindu, that men should not attack women. “Instead of raising your hand to hit a woman, hit yourself in the face,” he said.

During the event, the President of the Republic did not detail what concrete measures he would take to tackle the problem, but said that professional qualification is a way for women to free themselves from economic dependence on abusive husbands.

Data from the Public Security Yearbook released this week show that incidents of domestic violence against women increased by 9.8% in 2023, compared to the previous year – in total, 258,941 women reported problems of this type last year. The information in the report is compiled by the Brazilian Public Security Forum, an NGO. Attempted homicides against women increased by 9.2% in 2023 – there were 8,372 cases last year, the first of Lula’s third term. In most cases, the aggressors are the partner (63%) or ex-partner (21.2%).

Last Tuesday (16), Lula made a statement perceived as sexist during a meeting with ministers and businesspeople from the food sector. “Today, I heard some sad news, I heard that there is a study, Haddad, that shows that, after a football game, violence against women increases. Unbelievable. If the guy is a Corinthians fan, that’s fine,” said Lula, alluding to the bad phase experienced by Corinthians, the team he supports.

“But I don’t get upset when I lose, I deeply regret it. So, I wanted to congratulate the women who are here,” he added.

Third term collects politically incorrect speeches

Throughout his third term, Lula has been the target of criticism after statements perceived as sexist or racist by some of his voters.

At the end of June, for example, the PT member said that it was “difficult” to find qualified women and black people to take on government positions. “This is a chronic problem that I discuss with Janja every day. Since women have not had an active participation for a long time, it is harder to find women for certain positions, and it is also harder to find black people for certain positions,” he said in an interview with the UOL website.

In April, when announcing relief measures for Rio Grande do Sul due to the rains, Lula said that the washing machine “is a very important thing for women”. “Many people think that a television is a small thing, that it is not very important. But, for a more humble person, the television is an asset. The stove is a huge asset. The refrigerator, then, goes without saying. And a washing machine is a very important thing for women who are surviving true suffering and martyrdom due to this rain”, he said.