The day before our visit he was presiding in the trial of a case which occurred seventeen years ago. It's really a structural problem. The failure to prosecute can also be attributed in part to the nature of domestic violence. In the first place, both prosecutors and judges have dropped cases when they believe the couple will reconcile. Moreover, in the courts as with the police, there is a persistent failure to see domestic battery as a crime.
Judges receive no training on domestic violence.
We are seeking improvements in the law and its implementation, but it requires more than a change in legal framework. It requires a whole change of attitude. Crimes Contra A Mulher , Introduction. Paulo, General Statistics, 1989. 76 Interview, Cida Medrado, April 1991.