The Lei Maria da Penha (Law No. 11,340) is Brazil's federal law against domestic and family violence against women, in effect since September 2006. It created specialized domestic violence courts, lets judges issue protective and restraining orders, requires support services for victims, and increased penalties for offenders. The law is named for Maria da Penha Maia Fernandes, who was left paraplegic by her husband's attempts to kill her and, after Brazil's courts failed for years to convict him, took her case to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
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