RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Sunday's marches in Brazil for International Women’s Day served as a rallying cry against gender-based violence, fueled by the latest case to outrage the country involving the alleged gang rape of a 17-year-old girl in Copacabana.

The case in Rio de Janeiro’s famed, beachside neighborhood took place in January, but gained national traction this week when four suspects handed themselves over to authorities. Described by police as a gang rape, it has added fuel to the fire in a nation where reports of violence against women have surged in recent months, sparking nationwide protests and a flurry of digital activism.

At least 15 protests were planned across the country, with organizers calling for the defense of women's lives and an end to femicide.

Rio's Civil Police said the four young men in pretrial detention will be charged with rape, while a fifth suspect — a minor — turned himself in on Friday to face an equivalent charge under juvenile law.

Authorities issued an arrest warrant for the minor after his alleged involvement in another case of sexual violence with a similar dynamic to the Copacabana episode came to light, Rio state prosecutors' office said in an email.

Lawyers for two of the suspects have denied any wrongdoing, while legal counsel for the remaining three have yet to comment on the case publicly.

A police investigation revealed that in January, the victim received a message from a classmate at her prestigious school inviting her to a friend’s home. Once inside the apartment, she was taken to a room and locked in with the suspects, where she was sexually assaulted and subjected to physical and psychological violence, a Mar. 4 police statement said.

Earlier this week, security camera footage of the men arriving then leaving the scene of the alleged crime circulated widely on social media.

Public interest in the case intensified after local press widely reported that the father of one of the suspects served as undersecretary for governance and compliance within Rio’s state social development and human rights department. Following the allegations against his son, the official was dismissed from his post, according to a decision published Wednesday in the state government’s official gazette.

Ordinary Brazilians, women’s rights groups, and public figures including ministers Anielle Franco and Sônia Guajajara took to social media to denounce the case.

“It’s impossible not to feel indignation when a 17-year-old young woman suffers such brutal sexual violence,” said Racial Equality minister Franco, who is the sister of slain councilwoman Marielle Franco, as she called for mass protests on International Women’s Day on March 8.

Violence against women in Brazil continues to climb, with 1,568 reported femicides in 2025 alone, a 4.7% increase from the previous year and more than three times the number in 2015, according to the Brazilian Forum on Public Safety.

Other crimes against women — such as threats, stalking, psychological violence, bodily injury, rape and attempted femicide — have also been increasing consistently in recent years, the think tank said in a report released ahead of Mar. 8.

“Women’s bodies continue to be seen as someone else’s territory, which can be threatened, assaulted, sexually violated and murdered,” it said.

After a string of high-profile cases last year and the ensuing protests, Brazil’s government increased protective measures. And earlier this year, the administration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced a multipronged effort to combat femicide involving the executive, legislative and judiciary powers.

Earlier this week, Brazil's government introduced emergency measures that include a national task force to execute approximately 1,000 arrest warrants for known aggressors, the implementation of an electronic tracking system for individuals with protective orders and the deployment of 52 mobile units to assist women in situations of violence.

Government actions have an important symbolic value and show that authorities deem violence against women unacceptable, said Isadora Vianna, a sociology researcher from Rio de Janeiro State University. But, she added, “it would be more effective to invest massively in policies of prevention and support networks.”

Vianna also noted the importance of further regulating the internet to stop the rapid circulation of misogynistic content online.

Tatianny Araújo, a 47-year-old longtime women’s rights activist who has participated in more than 30 acts marking International Women’s Day, said this year feels different for her in the wake of high-profile reports of sexual violence, including the alleged gang rape in Copacabana. Her 13-year-old son goes to the same high school as two of the suspects, who are in the process of being expelled.

“We feel bad, we cry, we’re consumed by rage and by pain,” Araújo said. “But at the same time we cannot stop. We have to mobilize, we have to do something.”

___

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america