National Aquatic Safety Month: The journey of a law that turns drowning prevention into public policy in Brazil

With the enactment of Federal Law No. 15,258/2025, Brazil has officially designated November as National Aquatic Safety Month. This legislative milestone represents the culmination of a 13-year journey initiated by INATI (Instituto de Natação Infantil – Institute of Infant Swimming), with the goal of bringing together the swim education sector and public authorities to reduce drowning statistics, especially among children.

The Genesis and Sector Mobilization

The campaign was conceived by INATI and first presented to approximately 600 professionals during the 4th Brazilian Congress of Infant Swimming in April 2012. The objective was to create an annual nationwide mobilization every November, a period that precedes the summer holidays and the critical increase in the use of swimming pools and other bodies of water. Even before becoming law, the initiative had already been incorporated into the calendars of gyms, clubs, and swim schools across all Brazilian states.

Legislative Pioneering: From Franca to the City of São Paulo

The transition of the movement into the legal sphere began in 2014 in the city of Franca (State of São Paulo). Under the leadership of Eleonora Cintra (Escola Mergulho) and then city councilor Adermis Marini Junior, the first municipal law of its kind was approved, serving as a model for several other cities.

In the city of São Paulo, the efforts to pass the municipal law were led by City Councilor Antônio Donato Madormo at INATI’s request. This initiative resulted in Law No. 16,384, approved on February 1, 2016, which established the Municipal Aquatic Safety Program in São Paulo. The text of this law became the main technical and legal reference made available by INATI to other Brazilian municipalities. https://legislacao.prefeitura.sp.gov.br/leis/lei-16384-de-01-de-fevereiro-de-2016

The Path to the Federal Law

The federalization process was marked by parliamentary persistence and INATI’s long-term vision:

2017: Then federal congressman Adermis Marini Junior introduced the first nationwide bill (PL 7,677/2017), which was archived in 2019 at the end of the legislative term.

2021: In a new effort led by INATI, Congressman Carlos Zarattini resumed the initiative by introducing PL 3,699/2021.

2025: Zarattini’s bill culminated in the enactment of Law No. 15,258/2025, consolidating more than a decade of INATI’s efforts and ensuring State recognition of the vital importance of education for aquatic drowning prevention. https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2023-2026/2025/lei/L15258.htm

“This historic achievement is not the merit of a single organization, but rather the result of the tireless engagement of teachers, swim schools, gyms, clubs, and civil and governmental entities that, united, transformed awareness into a national mission. This victory belongs to everyone who believes that education for prevention is the strongest action against drowning and that, through collective effort, it is possible to save lives and ensure a safer future for the Brazilian population.”