(Image source from: The Indian Express)

Over 200 people have been arrested on murder charges in a single day across Brazil in a coordinated sweep that emphasized the combat against femicide, the government said.

According to updated figures from the public security ministry, altogether, well over 1,000 people were nabbed in the crime crackdown which was conducted by some 6,600 police officers around the country.

The sweep was part of government attempts to respond to ever-rising violent crime in Brazil, incorporating a crisp gain in femicide, or slayings specifically targeting women.

By Friday afternoon, 1,027 adults and 75 adolescents had been confined, authorities said.

Of these, on the charges of femicide 14 were arrested and 143 others were accused of crimes accompanying alleged Maria da Penha law, which since 2006 has reinforced penalties for domestic violence. On standard murder charges, among the others arrested were 225 people, 224 on charges such as illegal firearms possession or drug dealing, and another 421 for other crimes.

Public security minister Raul Jungmann said a chief focus was on violence against women. "What matters to us is protecting lives and above all combating femicide, this terrible and unacceptable crime," he said. "Some crimes are more serious and repugnant, especially those against women."

An illustrious annual report released this month by the non-profit Brazilian Forum for Public Security found that Brazil's steady annual rise in homicides continues. There are at present on average over seven homicides an hour in Latin America's biggest country, up 2.9 percent on 2016 figures.

In 2017, there was a six percent increase in murders of women. These included 1,133 deaths as a consequence of femicide, or victims being intentionally targeted since they were women. The 60,018 rapes were up more than eight percent compared to 2016.

By Sowmya Sangam