A girl has been raped at knifepoint by 20 men on a busy street in Sudan after they surrounded the car she was in and dragged her out, sparking widespread anger and an online movement, Daily Mail reports.
The violent attack took place in broad daylight on a busy street in the city of Khartoum on New Year’s Eve but was only recently reported by local media, sparking widespread social media protest but little reaction from officials.
The girl, whose exact age was not given, was dragged out of the car by 20 men who had been rampaging along Nile Street which has many of the city’s most important buildings and runs alongside the River Nile.
The victim was raped at knifepoint by the men and her male relative was beaten when he tried to rescue her, according to reports.
When the story was published by local media, it caused widespread anger with several artists creating artwork that highlighted the issue.
The hashtags ‘it’s not okay’ and ‘we are with you’ were being widely used on Twitter in a show of solidarity.
Netizens also claimed this was not the first time the victim was raped and encouraged women to report their abusers and force change in the country.
One person wrote: “I want to be safe in my own country, I don’t want to go out with fear of getting sexually assaulted and blamed when it’s never my fault. Please help share this! End rape apology culture. Stop blaming victims. #Wearewithyou #itsnotokay.”
Another commented: “Treat all girls like they are your sister/daughter.”
One person replied: “We’re not your sisters, we’re not your daughters, we’re human beings with will and autonomy who demand our rights to be respected and our consent to be given.”
Other users called for tougher penalties for those carrying out attacks.
It is unclear if the local authorities are investigating the incident.
