15-year-old girl in Brazil prison with 20 men for a month

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This news has caused an outrage in Brazil and rightly so. The teenager, whose identity was not revealed was arrested on October 21 on suspicion of robbery and put behind bars at a local police station in Abaetetuba for more than a month without any formal charges. Children and Adolescent Defense Center (Cedeca) spokeswoman said she was raped from day one at the jail.

The number of men in the cell varied from 20 to 34 and they raped her repeatedly and forced her to have sex for food.

Miere Cohen, the president of the Order of Brazilian Lawyers Human Rights Commission told, the media:

She was raped innumerable times and forced to exchange sexual relations for food.'

One anonymous caller tipped off the media about this girl. Otherwise she would have been in prison for even longer.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time it occurred in Para state; a similar accident occurred just earlier -- a 23-year-old woman was put in prison for a month with 70 men.

Para Governor Ana Julia Carepa promised she will take suitable actions against the offenders and punish them severely. She said to the media:

Whether she was 15, 20, 50, 80 or 100 doesn't matter. A woman should not have been kept in a jail cell with men,''

The girl, whose family is poor is very scared of the whole situation, are afraid of the police officers but the girl said she is ready to recognize the police officers who locked her up and the prisoners who raped her.

It is simply inhumane what they did to this girl. Though the governor said she will take action, she should make sure there are separate prisons for men and women in her state. I spoke to my Brazilian friend and he said although the Brazil’s economy is on the rise, there is still a huge division between the rich and the poor. The latter get a different treatment in the society, as this poor girl can attest.