Cases of 'stalking' against women increased by 40% in one year in Paraíba Getty Images via BBC Cases of stalking, which is the crime of persecution that can occur in person or over the internet, increased by around 40% in Paraíba between 2024 and 2025. The data are from the Brazilian Public Security Yearbook 2026, released on Thursday (23). According to the survey, Paraíba recorded 2,147 cases of stalking in 2025, compared to 1,534 occurrences in 2024, which represents an increase of approximately 40%. Across the country, more than 123 thousand records of this type of crime were recorded. READ ALSO: Stalking: know how to identify and what to do when you are a victim of persecution Santa Rita, in PB, is among the 10 most violent cities in Brazil ? Click here to follow the g1 PB channel on WhatsApp The crime of stalking was included in the Penal Code in 2021. By law, it is characterized by the repeated persecution of a person, in person or virtually, through actions such as messages, calls, monitoring and constant comments on social networks, capable of of threatening the physical or psychological integrity of the victim, restricting their freedom or invading their privacy. The yearbook also points to an increase in cases of psychological violence against women in the context of domestic violence. In Paraíba, 715 cases were registered in 2025, an increase of 41% compared to the previous year. The data presented in the yearbook is based on information from the State Secretariats for Public Security and/or Social Defense, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) and the Brazilian Public Security Forum. Stalking: understand what this crime is, know how to identify it and see how to report it Cell phone theft grows 51% in PB in one year Cell phone theft in Paraíba increased 51% between 2024 and 2025. During the period, the state went from 3,174 to 4,799 occurrences. The data are from the Brazilian Public Security Yearbook 2026. The increase represents 1,625 more cell phone thefts in one year. The rate of this type of crime also increased in Paraíba, going from 76 to 115 occurrences per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the survey. Another fact highlighted by the Yearbook is that Paraíba was second only to Rio de Janeiro in the ranking of states that increased the indicator that brings together robberies and cell phone thefts in 2025. The growth was 21%, while Rio de Janeiro grew 22%. All other states showed a decline. While thefts increased, cell phone thefts decreased in the state. In 2025, Paraíba recorded 1,598 cell phone thefts, compared to 2,082 in 2024, a reduction of 23.3%. The rate also fell, from 50.2 to 38.4 robberies per 100,000 inhabitants. In total, Paraíba recorded 6,397 incidents of cell phone robbery and theft in 2025, according to the Yearbook. Security Yearbook: feminicides break record, murder rate is the lowest since 2012 The conclusions of the Public Security Yearbook: Femicides hit a record in 2025, which goes against the reduction in violent deaths as a whole. Four women were killed per day on average; Brazil recorded the lowest number of murders since 2012, when the Forum's survey began. There were 40,775 victims, a drop of 8% compared to 2024; (SEE MAP of the most violent cities and states); For the first time, the country had a violent death rate below 20: it stood at 19.1. It is the lowest number recorded in the history made by the Brazilian Public Security Forum; Other indicators of violence against women registered an increase: more cases of psychological violence (17%), stalking (30%), non-compliance with protective measures (17%) and threats (0.5%). Brazil had three attempted femicides for each crime committed throughout 2025; The ten most violent cities in the country are in the Northeast, half in Bahia. Maranguape (CE) leads the ranking for the 2nd year in a row and was the only municipality to surpass the rate of 100 violent deaths per 100 thousand inhabitants; Santa Catarina recorded 7.6 violent deaths per 100,000 inhabitants and became the state with the lowest rate in the country. São Paulo has held this position since 2014; Police killings increased by 5% last year, while the number of police officers killed fell by 3%; Records of production, possession or distribution of child sexual abuse content grew by 25%; Cases of bullying and cyberbullying have increased by more than 60% among young people. This occurs after the creation of a specific criminal type, in 2024; The number of adolescents complying with socio-educational measures in Brazil fell 54% in 9 years: there are 12,200 young people, the majority of whom are boys (93%), black (74%) and between 16 and 18 years old (76%). The most common occurrences are robbery (29%) and drug trafficking (28%); The number of people in the prison system grew by 6% and reached 964 thousand. The study predicts that, if the trend continues, Brazil could reach 1 million prisoners by 2027; There are 2.1 million companies and people authorized to have weapons — of this total, 1 million have a CAC (Hunters, Shooters and Collectors) license — and 1.6 million registered weapons. Three out of every 10 weapons have expired registration. Most watched videos from g1 Paraíba