The Current

Gang rape of 16-year-old Brazilian sparks protests

A video revealing the rape of a Brazilian girl by 30 men leads to angry demonstrations across Brazil.
Demonstrators protest the gang rape of a 16-year-old girl, whose attackers posted an online video and photos that triggered global outrage, showing her naked on a bed and the alleged rapists bragging that she had been raped by more than 30 men. (Evaristop Sa/Getty Images)

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Protests are taking place across Brazil over violence against women after a 16-year-old girl was gang raped.

On June 6, police in Rio de Janeiro made public a cellphone video taken by one of the alleged attackers showing the victim pleading for them to stop.

Brazilians protest in front of the legislative assembly of Rio de Janeiro (ALERJ) on May 27, 2016, against a gang rape of a 16-year-old girl. (Vanderlei Almeida/Getty Images)

The next day, Copacabana beach was covered by 420 pairs of red and white underwear— a number chosen by the NGO Rio de Paz, to mark the number of women raped in Brazil every 72 hours. 

Stephanie Nolan, the Latin America bureau chief for the Globe and Mail joins The Current to provide details about the case, and explain what the reaction reveals about culture in Brazil. 


This segment was produced by The Current's Sarah Grant