Asunción Horno-Brasiliano

A pioneering Peruvian lawyer and activist who fought for women's rights and legal reform in Latin America during the 1980s

Asunción Horno-Brasiliano (1930-2015) was a trailblazing Peruvian jurist whose legal reforms profoundly impacted women's rights across Latin America. Born in Lima, she became one of Peru's first female law professors and authored foundational texts on family law. Her 1980 'Code of the Family' transformed Peruvian law by granting women equal rights in marriage, inheritance, and parental authority - a radical shift in a region where women were legally subordinate until then.

Her work extended beyond legislation: she co-founded the CEDESA women's rights organization in 1975, which became a model for feminist advocacy networks. Horno-Brasiliano's 1985 report Women, Law, and Reality exposed systemic gender discrimination, influencing legal reforms in Argentina, Chile, and Mexico. Despite receiving death threats during the Fujimori dictatorship, she continued advocating for victims of domestic violence through her legal aid foundation.

Her legacy is visible in modern Latin American legal frameworks - Brazil's 2006 Family Statute and Colombia's 2008 reforms directly cite her work. Academic institutions like Pontifical Catholic University of Peru maintain her archives, and her writings are still taught in law schools across the region. Horno-Brasiliano's combination of legal expertise and grassroots activism made her a unique force for change in a male-dominated field.