As Rio de Janeiro police are searching for about 30 men allegedly involved in the gang rape of a 16-year-old girl, the survivor did a video interview with TV Record detailing the attack.
“There were several people laughing at me,” she told TV Record in Brazil while keeping her identity secret. “I was drugged, I was very groggy, there were lots of people with guns, lots of young guys laughing and talking.”
Police have placed two men in custody and issued arrest warrants for four more men who were allegedly involved with the assault.
RELATED: Brazil: More Than 30 Men Involved in Gang Rape of 16-Year-Old Girl
One of the alleged assailants posted the video to of the attack to social media, which spread throughout Brazil, stirring controversy and a national discussion about the issue of violence against women. In the clip, the survivor is seen lying on a bed while men stand around her and boast that 30 people raped her.
"It not only hurt me, it hurt my soul, because people judged me, tried to blame me for something which was not my fault,” she said. “They robbed me, not just in material goods, but in a physical way."
Police have issued photos of several suspects and raided several slums in Rio de Janeiro. Lead investigator Cristiana Bento has taken over the case after her predecessor was accused of not taking the gang rape allegations sufficiently seriously.
"I am convinced there was a rape, it's right there in the video, when the guy touched the girl," lead investigator Cristiana Bento said in a news conference Monday. "The rape is proven. What I want to do now is verify the extent of this rape and how many people took part."
