RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazilians marched in at least 15 cities on International Women’s Day, Sunday, demanding an end to femicide and sexual violence as five suspects faced charges in the alleged gang rape of a 17-year-old girl in Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana neighborhood.
The case, which occurred in January, gained national traction this week after four suspects surrendered to authorities. A fifth suspect — a minor — turned himself in Friday to face an equivalent charge under juvenile law, Rio’s Civil Police said. Organizers called the marches a direct response to a surge in violence against women that has generated nationwide protests and digital activism in recent months.
The Copacabana case
According to a police statement issued March 4, the victim received a message from a classmate at her school inviting her to a friend’s home. Once inside the apartment, she was taken to a room and locked in with the suspects, where she was sexually assaulted and subjected to physical and psychological violence, police said.
Rio’s Civil Police said the four men in pretrial detention will be charged with rape. Lawyers for two of the suspects denied any wrongdoing; legal counsel for the remaining three had not publicly commented as of March 8. Rio state prosecutors said an arrest warrant was issued for the minor after his alleged involvement in a separate case of sexual violence, with a similar pattern to the Copacabana incident, came to light.
The case drew additional scrutiny after local press reported that the father of one suspect had served as undersecretary for governance and compliance within Rio’s state social development and human rights department. The official was dismissed from his post following the allegations against his son, according to a decision published in the state government’s official gazette on Wednesday.
Femicide on the rise
Brazil recorded 1,568 femicides in 2025 — a 4.7% increase from the previous year and more than three times the number reported in 2015 — according to the Brazilian Forum on Public Safety. Other crimes against women, including threats, stalking, psychological violence, rape, and attempted femicide, have also been increasing consistently in recent years, the think tank said in a report released ahead of March 8.
“Women’s bodies continue to be seen as someone else’s territory, which can be threatened, assaulted, sexually violated and murdered,” the Brazilian Forum on Public Safety said in the report.
Anielle Franco, Brazil’s Racial Equality minister and sister of slain councilwoman Marielle Franco, called for mass protests ahead of International Women’s Day. “It’s impossible not to feel indignation when a 17-year-old young woman suffers such brutal sexual violence,” Franco said.
Government response
Earlier this week, the Lula administration announced emergency measures that include a national task force to execute approximately 1,000 arrest warrants for known aggressors, the implementation of an electronic tracking system for individuals with protective orders, and the deployment of 52 mobile units to assist women in situations of violence. Lula’s government had already increased protective measures following a string of high-profile cases in 2025.
Isadora Vianna, a sociology researcher at Rio de Janeiro State University, said government actions carry important symbolic value and signal that authorities regard violence against women as unacceptable. But, she said, “it would be more effective to invest massively in policies of prevention and support networks.” Vianna also called for greater regulation of the internet to stop the rapid circulation of misogynistic content online.
Tatianny Araújo, a 47-year-old women’s rights activist who has participated in more than 30 International Women’s Day demonstrations, said this year felt different in the wake of the Copacabana case and other high-profile reports of sexual violence. Her 13-year-old son attends the same school as two of the suspects, who were in the process of being expelled.
“We feel bad, we cry, we’re consumed by rage and by pain,” Araújo said. “But at the same time we cannot stop. We have to mobilize, we have to do something.”