Teenage victim speaks out after video of 'Brazil gang rape' is posted on Twitter
'I want people to know that it is not the woman’s fault. You can’t blame a robbery victim, for being robbed' A protester in Rio de Janeiro holding a banner that reads: "We're all bleeding"
The 16-year-old girl arrived at her 19-year-old boyfriend’s house in Rio de Janeiro around 1 a.m. last weekend. She remembers being alone with him there.
The girl says her next memory is waking up in a different house surrounded by more than 30 men, many of them armed. All, or at least some of them, took part in her rape.
Naked, injured and penniless, she found some spare clothes and made her way home, she later said.
Her nightmare was far from over. On Wednesday, two of the accused attackers tweeted pictures of her, as well as a 40-second video.
The tweets were promptly taken down but not before they accrued hundreds of “likes” and misogynistic comments. In the video, the girl is apparently seen waking up from a drug-induced unconsciousness.
Text attached to the video roughly translates to: "Pounded the girl — get it? Hahaha."
Police have issued arrest warrants for four men, and the search for them is ongoing. The boyfriend and another man are accused of rape, and the other two face charges for uploading the video and pictures on social media.
Police say the girl told them 33 men raped her. Counter to the widespread belief when the news first broke, the suspects named by the police are "regular guys".
"I want them to await the justice of God. I feel like trash," the 16-year-old said in brief comments to O Globo newspaper. "It’s the stigma that hurts me the most. It is as if people are saying ‘it’s her fault. She was using scanty clothes.’ I want people to know that it is not the woman’s fault. You can’t blame a robbery victim, for being robbed."
What is this world coming to ? As for posting images on Twitter – What are these morons thinking ?
Sad.
Hope the girl recovers from this trauma and also hope the attackers get a severe punishment for this crime.
I would support Mufti here.. Just because the girl made a mistake , does not mean that she is to blame .. the blame lies fully with those who drugged her and then carried out this appalling crime ..
I would also prosecuute those who watched the video of the rape ..
Accaha. I beg to disagree. She trusted her boy friend. Had she known that he would call 30 other men to get her raped, I don't think she would have gone at the first place. The fact is that rapes are committed by men and they should mend their ways rather than blaming women for getting raped. No woman would want that to happen with her. Holding women responsible for rape is nothing but patriarchal mindset.
Britexpat: The world is full of all sorts of people. All of them are not good or "holy.". Many are simply wild animals. They would go to any extent to achieve their goals even to such a low level as in this case. Such people are present in all societies and in all countries. The general rule is that one must learn to protect himself and this rule becomes all the more important when it applies to females. When one purposely walks into fire, he or she would definitely get burnt. The girl went out at 1 AM for "fun." Got more than she expected. I am not in any way supporting those who behaved like "wild animals" and they should no doubt be given the punishment they deserve, but I am also blaming the girl as to why she lay the ground in the first place to allow for such a thing to take place.
Britexpat: I completely agree with you. It's appalling to see the number of people agreeing with these animals.
They post such vile acts on social media to further bloat their egos and also they know that the authorities cannot do anything about it either because they have been lining their pockets or are too scared to act against them.
Mufti, LL says exactly opposite to you ........... as per LL view ...... why do you wish to punish the boy ?
Her boy friend should be hanged. How could he call others and get her raped and then make a video. May God give her strength to overcome this tragedy.
acchabaccha: You are correct to a point .. But different societies have different norms..
She should have been more careful ... But she did not deserve what happened to her..
I feel that she is very brave to come out and make a statement as she did...
However the animals who did this to her should be made an example of ..
What is more disturbing is the number of people who would applaud such actions on social media
Accha, She is a free citizen .......... 24 / 7 ...........
No girl in the right frame of mind would go to her lover's home all alone at 1 AM unless she had something up in her mind. Guess she was looking for "some fun" and got more than what she was expecting.
LL, Simply blame the victim is the easiest comment for you .......
If you check online for most dangerous cities in the world or highest crime rate in the world. Out of top 50 cities, 22 are from Brazil. This statistic shows the deplorable state of law and order in the country.
It's really sad for the young girl, hope she gets the justice she so truly deserves.
LL: I agree with you .. She should have been more careful and wiser..
However, what happened afterwards was horrendous.. Aside from the multiple rape, what makes people post such things on social media and then boast about it..
"The 16-year-old girl arrived at her 19-year-old boyfriend’s house in Rio de Janeiro around 1 a.m."
Inviting trouble