Last week, a new study was released which shows just how entrenched the victim-blaming culture has become in Brazil, with a terrifying 65.1% of Brazilians admitting to either partially or wholly believing that ‘if dressed provocatively, women deserved to be attacked and raped.’ If that wasn’t grim enough, the study conducted by Brazil’s Institute for Applied Economic Research also showed that 58.5% of the Brazilians polled believe that ‘if women knew how to behave, there would be less rape.’ Oh, and it’s not just men who foolishly believe that victims are in any way responsible for being sexually assaulted – 66.5% on the 3,810 Brazilians surveyed were women. Depressing, much?
Still, the statistics explain why Brazilian girls have taken to social media with a clear message:
, which translates as #IDon'tDeserveToBeRaped.
Brazilian journalist Nana Queiroz started the movement of women sharing pictures of themselves topless with a sign covering their breasts featuring the hashtag in a move that deliberately subverts the idea that, by covering up more, a woman might have been able to prevent being sexually assaulted. Nana explained that the most important thing was to make sure that that 'they, as women, demonstrate that no one can claim ownership over their bodies either than themselves.’
Only 24 hours in and there are already some really powerful images.
We'll be watching for more.
Follow Sophie on Twitter @sophiecullinane
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.