BODIES OUT OF LINE: gender violence in criminal proceedings in the city of Recife (1916 – 1921)
Violência física contra mulher; Estupro; Recife.
This paper analyzes physical violence and rape crimes committed against women in the city of Recife in the early years of the 20th century. Amid the effervescence of the modernization process in the capital of Pernambuco, where a new idea of a modern and civilized city was constructed and reconstructed, an attempt was made to create new subjects that would meet the demands and needs of the First Republic. While the most recent framework for regulating rights and obligations was put into effect with the Civil Code of 1916, the Penal Code of 1891 began to imprison almost every type of crime committed in the city, except those perpetrated against women. The capital of Pernambuco was the scene of all types of crimes directed at women, making the practice commonplace in the city's newspapers and unfounded in the eyes of jurisprudence. In order to understand these crimes, it is essential to consider the historical obstacles that women faced in their search for justice in the process of reparation for the crime committed against them. In this context, we examine criminal proceedings to better understand the role of justice as a conflict mediator and problem solver.