Editorial (RDPDF vol 7 n 2 2025)

Abstract

Dear Readers,

In this issue of the Journal of Brazilian Federal District Public Defensorship (RDPDF), the second of 2025, we present a selection of articles and book reviews that further explore topics of relevance to the legal field, with particular emphasis on contemporary challenges to access to justice and on the promotion of innovative practices within the scope of the Public Defender’s Office.

The articles selected for this edition engage with structural challenges related to access to justice, human rights, and public policies, from both national and international perspectives. They therefore address pressing issues such as the role of the Public Defender’s Office in contexts of social and economic vulnerability, the importance of legal pluralism in strengthening fundamental rights, and the contribution of the Public Defender’s Office to the defense of human dignity, with particular attention to the most recent developments in Brazilian legislation. The diversity of approaches and the practical perspectives presented in these works reflect our journal’s commitment to disseminating knowledge aimed at improving public policies on access to justice.

The article “The Public Defender's Office of the Federal District in the fight against racism: institutional commitments, projects and personal motivations of Public Defenders in the construction of professional careers”, by Evandro Charles Piza Duarte and Andressa Santos do Nascimento, analyzes the institutional role of the Public Defender’s Office of the Federal District (DPDF) in confronting structural and institutional racism, highlighting advances, limitations, and the need to strengthen anti-racist practices within public defense activities.

In "The formation of the Brazilian agricultural space and the absence of an effective agricultural reform: Land grabbing as an obstacle to the realization of access to land", Cezar Augusto Mendes Júnior and Adegmar José Ferreira examine the historical concentration of land ownership in Brazil and the persistence of land grabbing as an obstacle to the realization of the right to housing, emphasizing the legal and social impacts of this reality.

The article "The Belém do Pará Convention: From Paper to Practice – From Synergies to Dissonances in the Protocol of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Peru", by Iván Vargas-Chaves and others, investigates the application of the Belém do Pará Convention in the Peruvian context, highlighting the gap between normative commitments and institutional practice in addressing femicide.

Finally, in "Systemic perspective and the transformation of the criminal justice response to domestic violence against women in Brazil", Larissa Alves Ocampos proposes moving beyond traditional punitive responses, advocating systemic, integrated, and restorative approaches as alternatives for more effective protection of women.

As always, the RDPDF reaffirms its commitment to the dissemination of high-quality scientific and legal knowledge, offering our readers not only enriching reading material but also critical reflection on contemporary legal issues, new perspectives, and the role of the Public Defender’s Office in the construction of a more just and accessible legal system.

We thank the authors and reviewers for their valuable contributions and invite all readers to continue following future issues of our journal.

Alberto Carvalho Amaral

Editor-in-chief

Journal of Brazilian Federal District Public Defensorship