#She’sOnly16: Critical discourse analysis of posts in Twitter on a case of collective rape in Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

This article investigates discourses on violence against women published on Twitter, and its interface with public policies, based on the theorical-methodological input of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). The text analysis focuses on a specific case: the collective rape of a 16-yearold girl in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on May 21st, 2016 and the disclosure of images of this crime. The case provoked a huge uproar in Brazil. The crime became known and was reported due to the release on Twitter of a video of the rape, which was recorded by one of the attackers. This article aims at assessing the potential impact of social media on the debate of violence against women and on the responsive action of the Brazilian public authorities.