On March 31st, a 21-year old American student and her companion, believed to be her boyfriend, boarded a mini-bus in, in Rio de Janeiro. Later, three men boarded the bus, handcuffed the victims, forced everyone else off, beat the male, then made him watch as they brutally beat and gang-raped the young woman. Six hours later, the victims were left in a small town 30 miles away. All three suspects have been arrested. A young Brazilian woman has also identified the same men as being her rapists, a week prior to this incident. Her case was slow to be investigated --until now.
This story sounds much too similar to the gang rape and murder of a young university student in New Delhi, India, last December. She and her male companion were on a bus, both beaten, she was gang-raped, then both left on the street to die. And she did - die.
We only, occasionally, hear about rape crimes when they 'catch the news' and become high profile stories such as these, and that of the 16-year old girl who was gang-raped in Steubenville, Ohio, while unconscious.
In reality, rape occurs worldwide, every minute of every day to females of all ages, as well as young men and boys.
The public is outraged. That's good. That's a start. And a massive campaign called, Unite Against Rape, has been launched in the U.S., to support all rape victims/survivors, as well as to create discourse, worldwide, regarding this horrendous and brutal crime. Even better. It’s clear that education and awareness are needed in order to create solutions. For more information about the campaign: UniteWomen.org: https://www.facebook.com/...
If you've been raped or sexually assaulted, please seek help:
Call: National Sexual Assault Hotline - 1.800.656.HOPE
Other Facebook groups/organizations addressing the issues of sexual assault and rape along with women's rights, include:
Rape Victim Advocates: https://www.facebook.com/...
Rape Is Never Justified: https://www.facebook.com/...
Fight Laws Against Women: https://www.facebook.com/...
One Million Pissed Off Women: https://www.facebook.com/...
As a rape survivor, I stand with, Unite Against Rape, and all survivors of rape and sexual abuse.~Leslie Salzillo, Writer of this Daily Kos Dairy