Four women have been killed every day so far this year in Brazil – with human rights campaigners raising alarm bells about the death toll.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), the human rights arm of the 35-member Organization of American States, branded the death rate “alarming” and called for more to be done to stop femicides in Brazil.

“The commission calls on the Brazilian State to implement comprehensive strategies to prevent these acts, fulfill its obligation to investigate, prosecute and punish those responsible, as well as to offer protection and comprehensive reparation to all victims,” the Washington-based IACHR said in a statement.

Brazil only has 74 shelters for victims of domestic violence despite having a population of more than 200 million, according to Human Rights Watch.

The IACHR said women killed in Brazil are often shot dead in their own homes at the hands of current or former boyfriends who have a history of domestic abuse.

Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Show all 20 1 /20 Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Brazil's new President Jair Bolsonaro waves as he drives past before his swear-in ceremony Reuters Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Supporters wait in front of the Planalto Palace, where he will take office EPA Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Jair Bolsonaro gestures at the Congress before he is sworn AFP/Getty Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Supporters take pictures as Brazil's new President Jair Bolsonaro drives past Reuters Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Flanked by first lady Michelle Bolsonaro, Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro waves to the crowd, as he rides in an open car after his swearing-in ceremony AP Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Jair Bolsonaro reacts as he drives past Reuters Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Brazil's new President Jair Bolsonaro reacts as he drives past before his swear-in ceremony, in Brasilia, Brazil January 1, 2019. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes RICARDO MORAES Reuters Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration The National Congress before Brazil's President-elect Jair Bolsonaro is sworn in AFP/Getty Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Jair Bolsonaro gestures at the Congress AFP/Getty Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Brazil's new President Jair Bolsonaro waves as he drives past before his swear-in ceremony, in Brasilia, Brazil January 1, 2019. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes RICARDO MORAES Reuters Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Supporters of Brazil's President Elect Jair Bolsonaro are cooled down with a water hose by firefighters, prior Bolsonaro's inauguration, in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday Jan. 1, 2019. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo) Silvia Izquierdo AP Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration The presidential convoy, led by Brazil's President-elect Jair Bolsonaro (L) and his wife Michelle Bolsonaro in a Rolls Royce, heads to the National Congress for his swearing-in ceremony, in Brasilia on January 1, 2019. - Bolsonaro takes office with promises to radically change the path taken by Latin America's biggest country by trashing decades of centre-left policies. (Photo by Carl DE SOUZA / AFP)CARL DE SOUZA/AFP/Getty Images CARL DE SOUZA AFP/Getty Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration epa07257163 Sympathizers of Brazilian President-elect, Jair Bolsonaro, walk past a giant figure of the future president before the beginning of the inauguration ceremony, in Brasilia, Brazil, 01 January 2019. A far-right president leads the biggest Latin America democracy for first time since the end of military rule (1964-1985). 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(Photo by EVARISTO SA / AFP)EVARISTO SA/AFP/Getty Images EVARISTO SA AFP/Getty Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Supporters of Brazilian President-elect Jair Bolsonaro, gather to wait for his inauguration ceremony at "Tres Poderes" square in front of the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, on January 01, 2019. - Brazil entered a new chapter in its history on Tuesday, embracing a far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, whose determination to break with decades of centrist rule has raised both hopes and fears. (Photo by EVARISTO SA / AFP)EVARISTO SA/AFP/Getty Images EVARISTO SA AFP/Getty Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Jair Bolsonaro addresses Congress, during his swearing-in ceremony as Brazil's new president, in Brasilia on January 1, 2019. - Bolsonaro takes office with promises to radically change the path taken by Latin America's biggest country by trashing decades of centre-left policies. 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“The commission notes with concern that in most cases, the murdered women had previously denounced their aggressors, faced serious acts of domestic violence, or suffered previous attacks or attempted homicides,” the IACHR said.

Brazil passed a law in 2015 that criminalized femicide, the gender-motivated killing of women, and set tougher jail sentences of up to 30 years for those responsible for such crimes. The law which was announced to coincide with International Women’s Day established a legal definition of the crime.

Brazil is among around 15 other countries in Latin America that has implemented laws against femicide in recent years. According to the United Nations, the region has the world’s highest rates of femicide.

Commissioner Margarette May, IACHR president and rapporteur for women’s rights, said Brazil’s 2015 law on femicide was a crucial step in making murders of women more visible.

“However, it is now essential to strengthen prevention and protection measures,” Ms May said in a statement. “It is inadmissible that women with protection orders are murdered, that they do not have sufficient shelters or that their complaints are not properly taken into consideration.”

Femicides are not an “isolated problem” but reflect “sexist values deeply rooted in Brazilian society,” the IACHR said.

The rights organisation noted that black women, those belonging to indigenous groups and the LGBT+ community, as well as women politicians and human rights activists are most at risk of being killed.

The murder of Marielle Franco – a Brazilian feminist LGBT+ human rights defender and Rio de Janeiro councilwoman who was shot four times in the head after leaving a public meeting in downtown Rio last March – triggered worldwide outrage and protests. Her killing remains unsolved.

Brazil’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who took office last month, renamed the existing Ministry of Human Rights to the Ministry of Women, Family and Human Rights, and lumped indigenous rights with women’s issues.

More than 1,000 women were killed in hate crimes tied to their gender in Brazil in 2017. Latin America’s largest nation has long been the world leader in overall homicides, and its murder rate is also one of the highest.

Last year, research revealed violent deaths of LGBT+ people in Brazil had hit an all-time high following a sudden spike in 2017. According to LGBT+ watchdog group Grupo Gay de Bahia, at least 445 LGBT+ Brazilians died as victims of homophobia in 2017 – a 30 per cent increase from 2016.

According to an Amnesty International report, of 1,275 registered cases of killings by on-duty police between 2010 and 2013, 99.5 per cent of the victims were men, 79 per cent were black and 7 per cent were between the ages of 15 and 29.