Women’s Day Marches In Brazil Decry Gender-based Violence, Fueled By Gang Rape Case

RIO DE JANEIRO — Sunday’s marches successful Brazil for International Women’s Day served arsenic a rallying outcry against gender-based violence, fueled by nan latest lawsuit to outrage nan state involving nan alleged pack rape of a 17-year-old woman successful Copacabana.

The lawsuit successful Rio de Janeiro’s famed beachside neighborhood, which allegedly took spot successful January, gained nationalist traction past week erstwhile 4 suspects handed themselves complete to authorities. Described by constabulary arsenic a pack rape, nan lawsuit has added substance to outrage successful a federation wherever reports of unit against women person surged successful caller months, sparking nationwide protests and a flurry of integer activism.

At slightest 15 protests were planned crossed nan country, pinch organizers calling for nan defense of women’s lives and an extremity to femicide.

Rio’s Civil Police said nan 4 young men successful pretrial detention will beryllium charged pinch rape, while a 5th fishy — a insignificant — turned himself successful Friday to look an balanced complaint nether juvenile law.

Authorities issued an apprehension warrant for nan insignificant aft his alleged engagement successful different lawsuit of intersexual unit came to ray pinch akin circumstances to nan Copacabana episode, nan Rio authorities prosecutors’ agency said successful an email.

Lawyers for 2 of nan suspects person denied immoderate wrongdoing, while ineligible counsel for nan different 3 person yet to remark connected nan lawsuit publicly.

A constabulary investigation revealed that successful January, nan unfortunate received a connection from a classmate astatine her prestigious schoolhouse inviting her to a friend’s home. Once wrong nan apartment, she was taken to a room and locked successful pinch nan suspects, wherever she was sexually assaulted and subjected to beingness and psychological violence, a constabulary connection connected Wednesday said.

Last week, information camera video of respective men arriving and past leaving nan segment circulated wide connected societal media.

Public liking successful nan lawsuit intensified aft nan section property wide reported that nan begetter of 1 of nan suspects served arsenic undersecretary for governance and compliance wrong Rio’s authorities societal improvement and quality authorities department. After nan allegations against his son, nan charismatic was dismissed from his post, according to a determination published Wednesday successful nan authorities government’s charismatic gazette.

The wide public, women’s authorities groups and nationalist figures including ministers Anielle Franco and Sonia Guajajara took to societal media to denounce nan incident.

“It’s intolerable not to consciousness indignation erstwhile a 17-year-old young female suffers specified sadistic intersexual violence,” said Racial Equality Minister Franco arsenic she called for wide protests connected International Women’s Day. Franco is nan sister of Marielle Franco, a Rio councilwoman, feminist and quality authorities activistic who was assassinated successful 2018.

Violence against women successful Brazil continues to climb, pinch 1,568 reported femicides successful 2025 alone, a 4.7% summation from nan erstwhile twelvemonth and much than 3 times nan number successful 2015, according to nan Brazilian Forum connected Public Safety.

Other crimes against women — specified arsenic threats, stalking, psychological violence, bodily injury, rape and attempted femicide — person besides been expanding consistently successful caller years, nan deliberation vessel said successful a study released up of International Women’s Day.

“Women’s bodies proceed to beryllium seen arsenic personification else’s territory, which tin beryllium threatened, assaulted, sexually violated and murdered,” it said.

After a drawstring of high-profile cases past twelvemonth and nan ensuing protests, Brazil’s authorities accrued protective measures. And earlier this year, nan management of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced a multipronged effort involving nan executive, legislative and judiciary powers to combat femicide.

Last week, Brazil’s authorities introduced emergency measures that see a nationalist task unit to execute astir 1,000 apprehension warrants for known aggressors, nan implementation of an physics search strategy for individuals pinch protective orders and nan deployment of 52 mobile units to assistance women successful situations of violence.

Government actions person an important symbolic worth and show that authorities deem unit against women unacceptable, said Isadora Vianna, a sociology interrogator from Rio de Janeiro State University. But, she added, “it would beryllium much effective to put massively successful policies of prevention and support networks.”

Vianna besides noted nan value of further regulating nan net to extremity nan accelerated circulation of misogynistic content.

Tatianny Araújo, a 47-year-old longtime women’s authorities activist, said International Women’s Day feels different this twelvemonth for her successful nan aftermath of high-profile reports of intersexual violence, including nan alleged pack rape successful Copacabana. Her 13-year-old boy goes to nan aforesaid precocious schoolhouse arsenic 2 of nan suspects, who are successful nan process of being expelled.

“We consciousness bad, we cry, we’re consumed by rage and by pain,” Araújo said. “But astatine nan aforesaid clip we cannot stop. We person to mobilize, we person to do something.”

Hughes writes for nan Associated Press.