Dear reader,
When Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro came out in support of Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior — the national soccer star accused of raping a model in Paris last month — women’s rights activists braced themselves for the fallout.
The president’s comment on the ongoing case has sent shockwaves across Brazil, a country where experts say reporting rates for sexual crimes are lower than they should be. Now, many fear victims will be even less likely to report.
In 2016, 49,497 cases of rape were reported across the country, according to Brazil’s 11th annual Report on Public Safety. But the true figures are believed to be much higher — somewhere between 300,000 and 500,000 cases, according to a report by the Institute for Applied Economic Research and the Brazilian Public Safety Forum.
“Bolsonaro should be leading the action to fight this trend,” said Marcello Fernandes, who covered the story for HuffPost Brazil. “Instead, he is contributing to the spread of rape culture.”
HuffPost Her Stories has already reported on the significant barriers to social progression women are facing in Brazil under Bolsonaro’s leadership, and we will continue to follow the Neymar case.
Rebecca Zamon, the audience development manager of HuffPost Canada, will be taking the Her Stories reins next week. She’s passionate about understanding why people care about the stories they do and is excited to elevate diverse, women-focussed stories from around the world that might otherwise get overlooked.
We hope you’ll enjoy the view from Canada. As always, thanks for reading.
Until next time in London,
Lucy
Welcome Rebecca to HuffPost Her Stories! You can follow her on Twitter @RebZam
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