Brazilian police are searching for more than 30 men suspected of gang-raping a 16-year-old girl May 21 in a Rio de Janeiro slum, CBS News reports. Police only became aware of the crime after two men posted photos and videos of the naked and unconscious victim online, along with jokes about what happened to her. According to Reuters, one man bragged that "more than 30 impregnated her." The photos and videos received hundreds of likes and supportive comments online, the Washington Post reports. Police have identified only four of the suspects—including the victim's 19-year-old boyfriend—and are asking the public's help in finding them and identifying others. So far, no arrests have been made.
The victim told police she arrived at her boyfriend's home last Saturday. The next thing she remembers is coming to in a different home surrounded by 33 heavily armed men, the Globe and Mail reports. "I feel like trash," CBS quotes the victim as saying. "It's the stigma that hurts me the most...I want people to know that it is not the woman's fault.” Brazil's interim president called the attack a "barbaric crime." Many blamed the victim after reports of the attack surfaced. Violence against women is a huge problem in the country. Nearly 50,000 rapes were reported in 2015 in Brazil. There were a reported 13 per day in Rio de Janeiro alone. When asked if the victim was in danger of reprisals from her attackers, the city's police chief responded, "That would be a subjective answer. Who isn't at risk in Rio de Janeiro?"
The victim told police she arrived at her boyfriend's home last Saturday. The next thing she remembers is coming to in a different home surrounded by 33 heavily armed men, the Globe and Mail reports. "I feel like trash," CBS quotes the victim as saying. "It's the stigma that hurts me the most...I want people to know that it is not the woman's fault.” Brazil's interim president called the attack a "barbaric crime." Many blamed the victim after reports of the attack surfaced. Violence against women is a huge problem in the country. Nearly 50,000 rapes were reported in 2015 in Brazil. There were a reported 13 per day in Rio de Janeiro alone. When asked if the victim was in danger of reprisals from her attackers, the city's police chief responded, "That would be a subjective answer. Who isn't at risk in Rio de Janeiro?"