Brazilians outraged as photos and videos of teen’s gang rape shared on Twitter

Police in Brazil are attempting to identify 30 men who allegedly participated in the gang rape of a 16-year-old girl, which was filmed on a cellphone and then distributed on Twitter.

 

The assault and its social network aftermath have prompted a furious debate about attitudes toward women, rape culture and online psychological violence. 

The teenager – who is now reportedly in fear of her life – told investigators that she had visited the home of her boyfriend on Saturday afternoon in a favela in the west of Rio de Janeiro. She was briefly alone with him but said she remembered nothing afterward until she woke up naked the next day in another building with dozens of men who had guns.

Her family said she returned home distressed and wearing men’s clothes, but said nothing about her ordeal.

Two days later, however, one of the men posted a 40-second video online, showing her naked and semi-conscious. Another man posted a picture of himself posing next to the girl’s exposed genitals.

The images were rapidly distributed and got more than 500 “likes” before they were removed by Twitter. Among those who saw them were the girl’s horrified family.

Her grandmother told local media that the motive was revenge because her boyfriend felt she had cheated on him.

The teenager, who has since been taken to hospital for medical treatment, has posted a message on her social media account saying she feared she would be judged badly. “It does not hurt the uterus, but the soul because there are cruel people who are getting away with it,” she wrote.

Police say they have identified four of the 33 men involved and issued arrest warrants. Two others face charges related to the distribution of the images online. A hotline set up for more information about the crime has received more than 800 calls.

Amid a growing outcry, the government has called an emergency meeting of public security chiefs to discuss measures to combat violence against women. Michel Temer, the interim president, said a new department would be created inside the Federal Police to coordinate action. “It is absurd that in the 21st century we have to live with barbaric crimes like this,” he said.