Femicide: spatial analysis and factors associated with gender crimes in Paraná, Brazil

This study aimed to spatially analyze and verify the factors associated with feminicide complaints in Paraná. This ecological study was conducted with feminicide complaints from the Public Prosecutor's Office of Paraná from 2015 to 2022. The associated factors were analyzed through the variables of access to protection services, social vulnerability, and area of residence, using Ordinary Least Squares regressions and Geographically Weighted Regression. A total of 1,672 feminicide complaints were analyzed during the study period. Young women (20-39 years old) were the main victims, intimate partners were the foremost perpetrators, and the home was the most frequent place of occurrence. The variables Specialized Police Stations for Women and Women's Care Reference Centers were positively associated with feminicide complaints. The number of Maria da Penha Centers was positively and negatively associated depending on the location analyzed. We observed a predominance of feminicide in young women. Gender equality should be prioritized by deconstructing patriarchy due to the greater prevalence of intimate partners as perpetrators and the use of discourses of male domination over women as justification for crimes.