“I will never be silenced”
An astounding display on Brazil’s popular Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro is taking anti-rape campaigns and protests in the South American country further with its very visually provocative dimensions, in order to intensify the fight against rape and rape culture in Brazil and beyond.
The Copacabana beach sand was probably not ready for the kind of visitors that it received this past Monday, when 420 red and stained women’s pants were arranged in a symbolic demonstration to alert people to the number of women being raped in the country every three days. The underwear was displayed by the prominent Brazilian activist non-governmental organisation, Rio de Paz (Peaceful Rio).
A striking exhibition by photographer Marcio Freitas titled “I will not be silent” which featured blown up portraits of 20 female victims of abuse with what appear to be bloodstained handprints over their mouths, was displayed alongside the pants. The entire exhibition was mounted by 6am in the morning, and remained on the beach until dark to provide enough time for both local and foreign visitors to the beach to drink it all in.
Since May, the ‘tourist capital,’ Rio de Janeiro, and other cities in Brazil have borne witness to a series of impassioned protests following the rape of a 16-year old girl by an initial estimated total of 30 men. The situation was exacerbated when the perpetrators posted an explicit video online showing part of the incident, while laughing and bragging about it as it took place.
Incensed Brazilians took to the streets and the steps of government buildings in droves to protest, almost literally painting the cities red. Red-stained faces, hands, placards and garments were the weapons chosen by activists in calling for the Brazilian government and its citizens to move towards ending the violent crime against women. The recent display on the beach is doing the same.
In a video, Antonio Carlos Costa, the founder of Rio de Paz and organiser of the Copacabana anti-rape exhibition, stated that women in the poor Brazilian communities (favelas), such as the one where the 16-year-old victim was assaulted, are most vulnerable to the violation of their rights. He therefore suggests that public policies be implemented in those areas to help mitigate the problem.
Brazil’s police force is currently investigating the rape of the 16-year-old girl and a number of suspects – including the victim’s supposed boyfriend – have so far been identified, although no arrests have been made.
