Sexual Misconduct Against Women Increases 55 Percent in Rio

By Nelson Belen, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – According to a just-released study, between January and July of 2018, women in Rio de Janeiro state were subjected to some form of sexual misconduct (sexual harrassment, public lewdness, inappropriate touching) an average of every eight hours.

In total, through July, there were a total of 674 cases of sexual misconduct, not including rape and assault, against women; a 55 percent increase over the same period in 2017 when there were 433 occurrences.

Of the 674 cases, 444 were for inappropriate touching (unsolicited or unwanted touching), 160 for public lewdness (obscene behavior in public), and seventy were for sexual harassment (unwelcome sexual advances or requests for sexual favors).

The most common offense of inappropriate touching is also the one that carries the lowest penalty: a fine, if convicted.

“Brazilian legislation is really old-fashioned in this sense,” explained Diogo Tebet, president of the Criminal Procedure Commission of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB-RJ), to Globo news, who sponsored the study.

“There really is a sense of impunity,” he added. “Even though it is a serious matter, the State’s response has not been updated.”

Most recently, according to Globo, a 28-year-old woman was stopped by a man in a car at Rua Real Grandeza in Botafogo. The man was asking for directions and when the woman approached the vehicle she discovered the man was masturbating.

“I was terrified, I started yelling, I cursed the driver. He got scared and fled, but I managed to jot down the license plate and looked for the police,” exclaimed the victim who requested anonymity.

“I’ve already testified, but I do not know whether the assailant was punished.”

According to data from the Institute of Public Security (ISP), 55 percent of of the reported victims of sexual misconduct in Rio are single white women between the ages of 18 and 29 and occur between noon and 6PM.