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The Maria da Penha Patrol of the Rio Municipal Guard celebrates five years of operation.
Published on 13/03/2026 - 17:51 | Updated
The GM-Rio group is part of a national protection network and has already assisted more than ten thousand women. Photo: Robert Gomes
The Maria da Penha Patrol (RMP), of the Rio de Janeiro Municipal Guard (GM-Rio), is celebrating five years of operation this March. Since the creation of this special group, 10.550 women have received assistance at some point in their lives. And in the last year, there were no recorded cases of femicide among those assisted.
In 2025, the special group received 3.933 calls, increasing to 5.631 the number of women who have the protection of municipal agents. 24.194 reception actions were recorded, consisting of regular visits and follow-up to verify the condition of those assisted.
Violence against women can occur regardless of race, education, religion, and even age. Among the more than five thousand protective measures in effect, one is for a 100-year-old woman – whose identity will not be revealed due to judicial secrecy. A resident of Tijuca, in the North Zone, she has had the right to protection since 2023 against a grandson with whom she lived and who practiced psychological violence.
The centenarian said that her grandson became violent after consuming alcohol.
"He insulted me a lot, and I was scared until they took me to the police station and managed to keep him away," she recounts.
In addition to this regular monitoring, the Maria da Penha Patrol teams can also be called upon by those receiving assistance in emergency situations and cases of flagrant violence. Last year, 265 people were taken to the police station and 43 arrests were made, most of them for violating protective orders. In five years, 161 arrests were recorded, including cases of physical violence and even unlawful imprisonment. In all cases, the agents managed to guarantee the safety of the victims and the humane transport of the suspects to the police station.
According to the commander of GM-Rio, Inspector General Itaharassi Bonfim Júnior, in these last five years, we have been successful in our mission to protect the women of our city.
– Each municipal guard is trained to combat this type of violence. The Maria da Penha Patrol teams operate on the front lines of this fight and also carry out awareness and education campaigns. Furthermore, we have very clear and strict operational protocols and procedures that are enforced internally, because our main commitment is to protect the lives and dignity of women in Rio de Janeiro. It is worth highlighting that we are part of a national network for the protection of women, and our partnership with other agencies, especially the Women's Secretariat of our municipality, enhances our work.
The Maria da Penha Round
Created on March 12, 2021, the special group of the Municipal Guard began its work due to the significant increase in cases of violence against women during the Covid-19 pandemic. According to research by the DataSenado Institute in partnership with the Women's Observatory, violence increased by more than 80% during that period.
With the installation of bases located in the main areas of the city where reports of violence against women are concentrated, the response to emergency calls has increased the reach of services to women near their homes. Currently, the Maria da Penha Patrol has a staff of approximately 100 municipal guards trained to deal with this issue.
According to the leader of the patrol, Glória Maria, the patrol's function is not only to check if protective measures are being followed, but also...
"The intention is to provide immediate protection, which will be monitored, and everything she needs from the network, such as autonomy in employability, psychologists, and multidisciplinary teams willing to accompany her throughout the process until she no longer needs to use this right that the Maria da Penha Law provides," she explains.
The Ronda unit is responsible for monitoring compliance with emergency protective measures issued by Domestic and Family Violence Courts. Teams can be called upon in emergency situations and in cases of violence caught in the act. The group operates in the city in partnership with the Rio de Janeiro City Hall's Women's Secretariat and is part of the Brazilian Women's Protection Network, which involves municipal, state, and federal agencies.
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