1000s in Brazil hold protests against rape of teenage girl
Thousands of Brazilians have taken to the streets of the country’s major cities to express their anger at the shocking case of a teenage girl sexually assaulted by more than 30 men.
On Wednesday, the protesters in their thousands flocked to the streets of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, carrying signs and chanting slogans condemning sexual violence against women and what they call a “culture of rape” in the country.
The participants were outraged by the gang-rape case of a 16-year-old girl, the video of which was posted online, showing the bloodied victim apparently unconscious on a bed; with one of the rapists saying she had been abused by more than 30 men and boys.
Police in Brazil have identified seven suspects and have made three arrests related to the case; however, the search is still on for other suspects.
Similar demonstrations were also reported in 11 other cities across Latin America’s largest country.
The largest rally was in Sao Paulo, where more than 5,000 women attended the protest to call for an end to violence against women in Brazil.
“We are here to say that it was not 33 (the reported number of rapists) against one; it was 33 against all of us, and we will not put up with more of this culture of machismo, the patriarchy, which imposes rape, fear and a life of violence,” said the leader of a Brazilian female rights movement.
“A life without violence is a right all women have. So we want to call on women to take up this fight, but also to call on all men to free our society of machismo,” she added.
The nationwide protests came a day after the Brazilian Senate passed a bill increasing the penalties for gang-rape cases and sexual acts of violence.
In 2014, some 50,000 cases of sexual assault and rape were registered in Brazil and there is fear that the numbers are under-reported.
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