Violência doméstica e Polícia Militar do Maranhão: desafios e possibilidades do Programa Patrulha Maria da Penha

Abstract

Gender-based violence, particularly in its domestic manifestation, constitutes a structural phenomenon historically rooted in Brazilian society. This study aims to critically analyze the possibilities, challenges, and contradictions of the performance of the Military Police of Maranhão in addressing domestic violence, focusing on the Maria da Penha Patrol Program. Grounded in historical-dialectical materialism, the research adopts a qualitative approach, combining bibliographic review, document analysis, and field research conducted in São Luís – MA, through semi-structured interviews with police officers working in the program. The results reveal the existence of a “paradigm clash” between the institutional culture of the corporation—historically militarized, hierarchical, and oriented toward confrontation—and the demands of a public policy based on listening, support, and humanized protection of victims. It was found that, despite structural limitations, the program demonstrates effectiveness at the micro level, evidenced by the reduction of recidivism and the absence of femicides among assisted women. However, this effectiveness contrasts with material and personnel shortages, as well as with the symbolic devaluation of the activity within the institution itself. It is concluded that the performance of the Maria da Penha Patrol, although representing a relevant institutional advance, remains conditioned by the structural and cultural contradictions of the police organization. In this context, strengthening the program requires structural investments, continuous gender training for personnel, consolidation of integrated action with the protection network, as well as the development of institutional strategies aimed at monitoring perpetrators of violence and creating internal accountability mechanisms, as a means to address the identified structural contradictions.