Feminicide, the murder of women, has gained worldwide attention in recent years both for its prevalence and for efforts to curb it through legislation. Latin America was the site of pioneering efforts by feminist activists to transform both the meaning and practice of the law in matters of gender-based violence, and there are valuable lessons to be learned from that experience. Fiona Macaulay's book, focusing on Brazil, casts fascinating light on the political processes, domestic and international, that led to important policy, institutional and legal innovation in this area. Long in coming, success was largely due to the combined efforts of feminist activists, politicians, and lawyers. This book is a most welcome contribution to our thinking about how policy change occurs, why politics matters, and why a feminist perspective was transformative. Written in an accessible style, this is an essential case study for anyone interested in politics and law, feminist movements, and what can be achieved in contentious areas of reform.

Fiona Macaulay is Senior Lecturer in the Division of Peace Studies and International Development at the University of Bradford. Her research interests, on which she has published extensively, focus on criminal justice system reform, human rights policy, and gender, politics and security issues in Latin America, especially Brazil.

Chapter 1. Introduction