Brazil police identify 4 suspects in gang rape of 16-year-old girl

Brazilian police say they have identified four out of over 30 suspects believed to have gang raped a 16-year-old girl in a favela in Rio de Janeiro.

Arrest warrants for the four were issued on Friday, reports Al Jazeera.

The incident, believed to have happened last Saturday, came to light after one of the suspects posted a video of the unconscious victim on Twitter with some of the suspects mocking the victim.

The video which went viral has caused outrage in the south American country.

Brazil shocked as video of “mass rape” of teen girl surfaces online: https://t.co/RuMuvkiXxu #EstuproNuncaMais pic.twitter.com/8bmfNPBmlH

— Women in the World (@WomenintheWorld) May 28, 2016

Dozens of Brazilian women on Friday staged a protest to denounce chauvinism and to demand action against the perpetrators.

They carried placards some of which read “A woman is not just a hole. We’are human”, “A woman is raped every 11 minutes” and “No means No”.

Journalist Joana Cocareli who joined the protesters with female gender symbols on their cheeks described what happened to the victim as “completely unacceptable”.

“This phenomenon serves as a red alert that has finally gotten the attention of not only those who are concerned about women, but also those who aren’t so concerned … It’s even caught the attention of chauvinists and even women who are chauvinists too,” Cocareli said.

Brazil’s interim president, Michel Temer in a statement said: “It’s absurd that in the 21st century, we have to live with barbarous crimes like this” promising to form a federal police unit to deal with violence against women.

The 19-year-old boyfriend of the victim is also being sought by the police.

At least one case of rape is reported in Brazil every 11 minutes with statistics indicating that over 40 thousand rapes were reported to the police in 2014 alone.