violence mainly by increasing punishment for domestic abuse offenders, increasing the maximum detention time from one to three years, establishing domestic violence courts and requiring Brazilian authorities to institute 24 hour shelters for victims of household domestic abuse. The law specifically states that domestic violence between same-sex partners and domestic abuse perpetrated by woman towards a man in a heterosexual relationship also constitute punishable crime. Additionally, the law provides protective measures to the victim, empowering judges to temporary restraining orders. In February 2012, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Maria da Penha law, ruling that prosecutors “may bring domestic violence cases regardless of whether the victim presses charges or not.” Implementation Supportive response With the implementation of the Maria da Penha Law, Brazil arguably has one of the most progressive pieces of legislation addressing domestic violence in Latin America. According to the Institute of Applied Economic Research (Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada), the Lei Maria da Penha has had a positive impact in reducing domestic violence against women in Brazil, with their study showing a 10% decrease in projected domestic homicides rates since 2006. While statistical evidence supports the positive impacts of the law in Brazil, many in Brazil still feel more must be done to address high levels of domestic violence in the country. Critical response Those critical of the effectiveness of the law point to failures in the law's implementation. Speaking to these concerns, Brazil director at Human Rights Watch, Maria Laura Canineu said, “ The Maria da Penha law was a major step forward, but more than a decade later, implementation remains woefully inadequate throughout much of the country.” More specifically, these shortcomings include the failure of police to follow procedure when a woman reports an incident of violence, the practice of demanding women undergo invasive medical procedures to prove abuse, the lack of a private space for the victim to share a testimony, and the failure to carry out protection orders against offenders. Additionally, political turmoil in Brazil has defunded many government programs protecting domestic violence victims, specifically women of color from low socio-economic classes who are already denied access to adequate health and legal services. This is also observed in limited access to the special units established by the law; most special units are located only in major Brazilian cities, isolating women in rural areas of the country and causing them to travel