Brazil¶

Jurisdiction code: BR · Legal system: civil-law
Language(s): pt

Brazil is the world's only PA-recognition statutory jurisdiction, having enacted Lei nº 12.318/2010 (Lei da Alienação Parental), which defines alienação parental and prescribes a graduated catalogue of judicial remedies. The Superior Tribunal de Justiça (STJ) and Supremo Tribunal Federal (STF) have moderated the statute via a 'no-automaticity doctrine' built in STJ REsp 1.859.228/SP and REsp 2.108.750/GO; the STF dismissed ADI 6273/2019 on standing without reaching the merits. Together with Spain (which legislates in the opposite direction), Brazil is one of the only two world jurisdictions with statutory PA legislation.

PA recognition status¶

Statutory: recognises
Apex court position: middle
Professional regulator position: position-statement-against

Statutory framework¶

Lei nº 12.318/2010 (Lei da Alienação Parental — LAP), arts. 1º–2º, 5º, 6º — Dispõe sobre a alienação parental e altera o art. 236 da Lei nº 8.069/1990 (2010) — https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2007-2010/2010/lei/l12318.htm
World's only express statutory recognition of parental alienation. Arts. 1º–2º define alienação parental; art. 5º mandates perícia psicológica ou biopsicossocial; art. 6º sets the graduated catalogue of remedies (advertência → ampliação do regime de convivência → multa → acompanhamento → alteração da guarda → fixação cautelar do domicílio → suspensão da autoridade parental).
Lei nº 8.069/1990 (Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente — ECA) — Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente (1990) — https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/l8069.htm
Children's-rights framework; intervention of Ministério Público and Conselho Tutelar; art. 247 anchors anonymisation of children in judicial publications.
Constituição Federal de 1988, art. 227 — Prioridade absoluta dos direitos da criança e dignidade da pessoa humana (1988) — https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/constituicao/constituicao.htm
Constitutional anchor for best-interests-of-the-child and dignidade da pessoa humana — used by STJ to moderate art. 6º Lei 12.318/2010 remedies.
Código Civil, art. 1.583 — Guarda compartilhada (shared custody) regime (2002) — https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/2002/l10406compilada.htm
Civil-code shared-custody default; interacts with Lei 12.318/2010 art. 6º, V (alteração da guarda) when family court considers custody inversion as PA remedy.
Lei nº 11.698/2008 — Institui a guarda compartilhada (2008) — https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2007-2010/2008/lei/l11698.htm
Statutory introduction of guarda compartilhada that pre-dates and underlies the post-2010 PA-remedy architecture.
Lei nº 13.709/2018 (LGPD) + ECA art. 247 + CPC art. 189, II — Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados Pessoais + segredo de justiça em causas de família (2018) — https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2015-2018/2018/lei/l13709.htm
Statutory basis for anonymisation: family-law cases run em segredo de justiça under CPC art. 189, II; ECA art. 247 prohibits identification of children in judicial-news publications; LGPD reinforces minimisation of personal-data exposure.
Lei nº 13.431/2017 — Sistema de Garantia de Direitos da Criança e do Adolescente Vítima ou Testemunha de Violência (escuta especializada e depoimento especial) (2017) — https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2015-2018/2017/lei/l13431.htm
Protective child-hearing procedures invoked by STJ in REsp 2.108.750/GO to require independent evidentiary treatment of abuse allegations within PA proceedings.

Apex courts¶

Superior Tribunal de Justiça (STJ) — Terceira Turma¶

https://scon.stj.jus.br/SCON/ - REsp 1.859.228/SP (Rel. Min. Nancy Andrighi) — consolidated no-automaticity doctrine: inversion of custody under art. 6º, V Lei 12.318/2010 is not the default response to an alienating-conduct finding; family court must apply graduated catalogue starting with less invasive remedies and weigh the child's emotional stability (2024) — middle — stj-resp-1859228-sp-2024 - REsp 2.108.750/GO — cross-allegation symmetrical evidentiary discipline: where the record contains sexual-abuse allegations against the parent invoking alienation, the family court may not collapse the abuse evaluation into the PA framework; perícia under art. 5º must independently engage with the abuse allegations (2024) — middle — stj-resp-2108750-go-2024 - REsp 1.654.111/DF (Rel. Min. Villas Bôas Cueva) — early no-automaticity formulation, precursor to the 2024 line (2017) — middle

Supremo Tribunal Federal (STF)¶

https://portal.stf.jus.br/ - ADI 6273/2019 — Ação Direta de Inconstitucionalidade challenging Lei 12.318/2010 dismissed on standing (não conhecimento); no merits ruling on the constitutionality of the statute (2019) — middle

Tribunais de Justiça estaduais (TJ-SP, TJ-RJ, TJ-MG) — state-level family-law lines¶

https://www.tjsp.jus.br/ - State-level family-law jurisprudence applying Lei 12.318/2010 graduated remedies; TJ-SP and TJ-RJ produce the largest volume of appellate PA case law in Brazil (2024) — middle

Professional regulators¶

Conselho Federal de Psicologia (CFP) — Nota Técnica nº 4/2022 — joint with CFESS (Conselho Federal de Serviço Social) — sceptical of SAP/PAS as a clinical construct; warns against use of perícia in PA proceedings to override child-safeguarding evidence; institutional critique of Lei 12.318/2010 (2022-01-01) — https://site.cfp.org.br/ — see practitioner br.cfp
Conselho Federal de Serviço Social (CFESS) — Joint nota técnica with CFP (2022) against operationalisation of PA in social-work practice; aligned with anti-revictimisation position of CNDH (2022-01-01) — https://www.cfess.org.br/ — see practitioner br.cfess
Conselho Federal de Medicina (CFM) — Silent — no institutional position statement on parental alienation as of 2026-05-31 — https://portal.cfm.org.br/
Instituto Brasileiro de Direito de Família (IBDFAM) — Legal-practitioner academic association; recognition-aligned with Lei 12.318/2010; principal Brazilian family-law academy that supported original enactment — https://ibdfam.org.br/ — see practitioner br.ibdfam

Anonymisation convention¶

Children and family parties are identified by initials only in published judgments and in this knowledge base. Statutory basis: LGPD (Lei 13.709/2018) + ECA art. 247 (proibição de identificação de crianças e adolescentes) + CPC art. 189, II (segredo de justiça em causas de família). Child's full name is never used; STJ and TJ publications routinely use initials or 'A.B.' style placeholders.

Key developments¶

2010 — 26 August 2010 — Lei nº 12.318/2010 (Lei da Alienação Parental) promulgada by Presidente Lula. First and only world statute to expressly define alienação parental and prescribe a graduated catalogue of judicial remedies. — https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2007-2010/2010/lei/l12318.htm
2014 — IBDFAM Anteprojeto do Estatuto das Famílias — academic family-law codification effort that consolidates IBDFAM's recognition-aligned position. — https://ibdfam.org.br/
2017 — STJ REsp 1.654.111/DF (Rel. Min. Villas Bôas Cueva) — early STJ formulation of what would later be characterised as the 'no-automaticity' doctrine on custody inversion under art. 6º, V Lei 12.318/2010. — https://scon.stj.jus.br/SCON/
2019 — STF ADI 6273/2019 — Ação Direta de Inconstitucionalidade challenging Lei 12.318/2010 dismissed on standing; no merits ruling on the constitutionality of the statute. — https://portal.stf.jus.br/
2020 — OAB (Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil) and 23 entidades signatárias manifesto pró-revogação Lei AP — public-interest coalition calling for repeal of Lei 12.318/2010 on the ground that it has been used to discount intra-family-violence and sexual-abuse allegations. — https://www.oab.org.br/
2022 — Conselho Federal de Psicologia (CFP) Nota Técnica nº 4/2022 — joint with Conselho Federal de Serviço Social (CFESS) — institutional critique of SAP/PAS as a clinical construct and of operationalisation of Lei 12.318/2010 in perícia. — https://site.cfp.org.br/
2024 — STJ Terceira Turma REsp 1.859.228/SP (Rel. Min. Nancy Andrighi) — consolidated 'no-automaticity' doctrine: inversion of custody under art. 6º, V Lei 12.318/2010 is not the default response to an alienating-conduct finding; family court must apply graduated catalogue starting with less invasive remedies. — https://scon.stj.jus.br/SCON/
2024 — STJ Terceira Turma REsp 2.108.750/GO — cross-allegation symmetrical evidentiary discipline: where the record contains sexual-abuse allegations against the parent invoking alienation, perícia under art. 5º Lei 12.318/2010 must independently engage with the abuse allegations and may not be collapsed into the PA framework. — https://scon.stj.jus.br/SCON/
2024 — CNJ Protocolo para escuta de criança e adolescente em ações de alienação parental — procedural guidance on child-hearing in PA matters, integrating Lei 13.431/2017 escuta especializada with Lei 12.318/2010 perícia. — https://www.cnj.jus.br/

Structural findings¶

Brazil is the OUTLIER LATAM jurisdiction: while every other Latin American apex court has consolidated against PA recognition between 2017 and 2025 (Argentina CSJN, Chile CS, Colombia CC, Mexico SCJN, Peru CS), Brazil remains the sole jurisdiction with an express statutory PA regime — Lei 12.318/2010.
Brazil and Spain are the world's only two statutory PA jurisdictions, and they legislate in opposite directions: Brazil recognises PA expressly (Lei 12.318/2010), Spain inadmits PA via Ley Orgánica 8/2021 (LOPIVI) — establishing the global statutory binary.
The IBDFAM family-law academy is recognition-aligned and supported the original 2010 enactment; the CFP-CFESS joint Nota Técnica 4/2022 is the principal institutional critique from the psy-disciplines.
STF ADI 6273/2019 was dismissed on standing (não conhecimento) — there is no merits ruling on the constitutionality of Lei 12.318/2010, leaving the statutory regime constitutionally untested at the apex level.
STJ Terceira Turma has built a 'no-automaticity' doctrine (REsp 1.859.228/SP + REsp 2.108.750/GO) that moderates Lei 12.318/2010 by (i) requiring graduated application of art. 6º remedies, (ii) preserving the child's emotional stability in current placement, and (iii) requiring independent evidentiary treatment of cross-allegations of abuse.

Sources¶

Lei nº 12.318, de 26 de agosto de 2010 — Lei da Alienação Parental — https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2007-2010/2010/lei/l12318.htm (Presidência da República — Casa Civil — Subchefia para Assuntos Jurídicos (Planalto)) [pt]
Lei nº 8.069, de 13 de julho de 1990 — Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente (ECA) — https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/l8069.htm (Planalto) [pt]
Constituição da República Federativa do Brasil de 1988 — https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/constituicao/constituicao.htm (Planalto) [pt]
STJ — Jurisprudência (scon) — https://scon.stj.jus.br/SCON/ (Superior Tribunal de Justiça) [pt]
STF — Jurisprudência — https://portal.stf.jus.br/ (Supremo Tribunal Federal) [pt]
IBDFAM — Instituto Brasileiro de Direito de Família — https://ibdfam.org.br/ (IBDFAM) [pt]
Conselho Federal de Psicologia — Nota Técnica nº 4/2022 (joint with CFESS) — https://site.cfp.org.br/ (Conselho Federal de Psicologia) [pt]
ConJur — Consultor Jurídico (legal commentary) — https://www.conjur.com.br/ (ConJur) [pt]
Migalhas — legal news (PA / alienação parental coverage) — https://www.migalhas.com.br/ (Migalhas) [pt]
Lex.com.br — Brazilian legal information — https://www.lex.com.br/ (Lex Editora) [pt]

Editorial notes¶

Primary sources first: statute text always Planalto; STJ jurisprudence via scon.stj.jus.br; STF via portal.stf.jus.br.
Verbatim Portuguese preserved for statutory citations (e.g. alienação parental, perícia psicossocial, alteração da guarda, segredo de justiça); translation_en provided in surrounding relevance text.
Preserved known fact: Brazil and Spain are the world's only two statutory PA jurisdictions, legislating in opposite directions (Brazil recognises via Lei 12.318/2010; Spain inadmits via Ley Orgánica 8/2021 / LOPIVI).
STF ADI 6273/2019 was dismissed on standing (não conhecimento) — there is no merits ruling on the constitutionality of Lei 12.318/2010; this distinction is preserved throughout.

Licensed CC BY 4.0 — AntiAlienate Knowledge. Source of truth is the sibling .json; this .md is rendered. Do not hand-edit.

What this means if your child is being withheld from you in Brazil¶

Brazil has the world's first statutory codification of parental alienation as a juridical concept: the Lei nº 12.318/2010 — Lei da Alienação Parental. This is the controlling instrument and you should expect a Brazilian family-court (Vara de Família) judge to apply it directly.

What Lei 12.318/2010 actually does. Art. 2º defines alienação parental as conduct by a parent (or third party with custody/guardianship) that interferes with the child's psychological development para que repudie genitor ou que cause prejuízo ao estabelecimento ou à manutenção de vínculos. Non-exhaustive examples include: realising a campanha de desqualificação against the other parent, hindering exercise of autoridade parental, blocking contact, omitting information about the child, presenting false accusations, changing residence without justified motive. Art. 6º authorises escalating medidas — warning, fines, supervised visitation, ampliação do regime de convivência with the targeted parent, transfer of custody, even suspension of poder familiar in the most serious cases.

Procedural pathway — the Vara de Família. File at the Vara de Família of the child's foro do domicílio (per CPC art. 53, I and ECA). Procedure follows the Código de Processo Civil and the Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente (ECA, Lei nº 8.069/1990). The Código Civil arts. 1.630 a 1.638 (poder familiar) provide the substantive backdrop.

Burden of proof note. Art. 5º of Lei 12.318/2010 establishes that indícios of alienação parental authorise the judge to order, de ofício or on application, a perícia psicológica ou biopsicossocial. Brazilian family-court practice has converged on multi-disciplinary teams (equipe técnica do juízo) to evaluate alienating conduct rather than single-expert syndrome diagnoses.

Apex court application. The Superior Tribunal de Justiça (STJ) has applied Lei 12.318/2010 in cases such as REsp 1.629.994/RJ (2017) and REsp 1.722.030/PR (2019), upholding both the multi-disciplinary evaluation model and the escalating-sanctions architecture of art. 6º. The Conselho Nacional de Justiça (CNJ) Resolução 350/2020 standardises Vara de Família practice.

The international dimension. Brazil is a Hague 1980 contracting state; international removal goes through the Autoridade Central Administrativa Federal (ACAF) at the Ministério dos Direitos Humanos e da Cidadania.

Get local counsel. Advogado is mandatory in family proceedings. The Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil (OAB) certifies Especialista em Direito de Família via the Escola Superior de Advocacia. Defensoria Pública provides legal representation income-tested. The Instituto Brasileiro de Direito de Família (IBDFAM) is the principal scholarly and practitioner network.

FAQ — Parental alienation in Brazil (República Federativa do Brasil)¶

Is parental alienation illegal in Brazil (República Federativa do Brasil)?¶

In Brazil (República Federativa do Brasil) parental alienation is expressly named and codified in statute. The apex court accepts the construct.

What law covers withholding a child from a parent in Brazil (República Federativa do Brasil)?¶

The primary statutory basis in Brazil (República Federativa do Brasil) is Lei n° 12.318/2010 (Lei da Alienação Parental) — Dispõe sobre a alienação parental e altera o art. 236 da Lei n° 8.069/1990. Authoritative text: https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2007-2010/2010/lei/l12318.htm.

What can a parent do if their child is being withheld from them in Brazil (República Federativa do Brasil)?¶

Apply to the family court with jurisdiction over the child's habitual residence. The court will assess the application under Brazil (República Federativa do Brasil)'s best-interests-of-the-child framework (Lei n° 12.318/2010 (Lei da Alienação Parental)) and may order specific contact, mediation, or — in serious cases — investigation by the child-protection authority. A parent in this situation should document the pattern of contact-interference and obtain local family-law advice before applying.

Sources & authoritative references¶

Topic baseline (independently verifiable):