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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Brazil shock at woman's jail rape | Brazil shock at woman's jail rape |
| (about 10 hours later) | |
| Authorities in Brazil are investigating reports that a young woman was left in a police cell with some 20 men for a month and repeatedly sexually abused. | Authorities in Brazil are investigating reports that a young woman was left in a police cell with some 20 men for a month and repeatedly sexually abused. |
| The governor of the state of Para, where the reported case took place, has promised a full inquiry. | The governor of the state of Para, where the reported case took place, has promised a full inquiry. |
| Governor Ana Julia Carepa said the age of the woman, put variously at 15 and 20, was irrelevant as she should not have been jailed with male prisoners. | Governor Ana Julia Carepa said the age of the woman, put variously at 15 and 20, was irrelevant as she should not have been jailed with male prisoners. |
| Women's rights groups in Brazil say it is not an isolated case. | Women's rights groups in Brazil say it is not an isolated case. |
| According to reports in the Brazilian media, the number of men in the cell with the young woman varied from between 20 to more than 30. | According to reports in the Brazilian media, the number of men in the cell with the young woman varied from between 20 to more than 30. |
| Public anger | Public anger |
| Media reports suggested that the girl was placed in a police cell in the town of Abaetetuba on suspicion of theft. | Media reports suggested that the girl was placed in a police cell in the town of Abaetetuba on suspicion of theft. |
| But human-rights groups say there is uncertainty about what offence the girl was accused of and she was not formally charged. | But human-rights groups say there is uncertainty about what offence the girl was accused of and she was not formally charged. |
| Whether she was 15, 20, or 100 doesn't matter. A woman should never be left in a jail with men Governor Ana Julia Carepa class="" href="/1/hi/world/americas/7109933.stm">Brazil's notorious prisons They say that she was raped relentlessly and forced to have sex in order to obtain food. | |
| The girl's father has now alleged that he has been threatened by police who tried to force him to provide a birth certificate showing that the girl was 20 years of age - a document which he said did not exist. | The girl's father has now alleged that he has been threatened by police who tried to force him to provide a birth certificate showing that the girl was 20 years of age - a document which he said did not exist. |
| The police are said to have believed at one stage that the girl was not under age. | The police are said to have believed at one stage that the girl was not under age. |
| Public anger | |
| Gov Carepa said the girl's age did not matter. | Gov Carepa said the girl's age did not matter. |
| "Whether she was 15, 20, or 100 doesn't matter. A woman should never be left in a jail with men," she said. | "Whether she was 15, 20, or 100 doesn't matter. A woman should never be left in a jail with men," she said. |
| "I am shocked and indignant, as a woman and as a governor," Gov Carepa said, promising that those responsible would face "exemplary punishment" and that such an incident would not be allowed to happen again. | "I am shocked and indignant, as a woman and as a governor," Gov Carepa said, promising that those responsible would face "exemplary punishment" and that such an incident would not be allowed to happen again. |
| Jails in Brazil are notorious for overcrowding and appalling conditions, and this is not the first time that there has been a controversy over a female prisoner being detained alongside men. | Jails in Brazil are notorious for overcrowding and appalling conditions, and this is not the first time that there has been a controversy over a female prisoner being detained alongside men. |
| However, on this occasion, the seriousness of the allegation has caused shock and considerable public anger, the BBC's Gary Duffy in Sao Paulo says. | However, on this occasion, the seriousness of the allegation has caused shock and considerable public anger, the BBC's Gary Duffy in Sao Paulo says. |
| Women's rights groups in Para state quoted by the Globo website say there have been at least three cases of women being put in cells with men. | Women's rights groups in Para state quoted by the Globo website say there have been at least three cases of women being put in cells with men. |