A graphic video showing a man beating his wife recently surfaced on the internet, and it’s terrifying. The woman and man are filmed in an elevator. The woman tries to escape several times, but the man continues to pull her back on the elevator.
WARNING: The below footage is graphic and not suitable for children.
At one point, it appears that the man has put her lifeless body on an elevator.
Moments after the video in the elevator is over, another video shows the woman’s body as it drops to the ground from several stories up.
The people in the video are Luís Felipe Manvailer and his wife, Tatiane Spitzner. The couple had been married for five years. Spitzner died from the fall, and Manvailer is currently being investigated for the murder. He denies have anything to do with her death and claims that she jumped from the window.
The video has caused a big debate over domestic violence laws in Brazil.
Maria Laura Canineu, the Brazil director for Human Rights Watch, said:
“The video just reflects the levels of violence we have been documenting. What Brazil has to learn is that most of these cases are preventable. It is very rare that a murder is the first case of violence.”
Brazil has had problems with domestic violence in the past.
Many women are afraid to share their stories or report abuse. This allows it to continue until it becomes worse. There are laws that protect women from this type of violence, but if the crimes aren’t reported, the laws can’t be enforced.
Canineu added:
“In Brazil, we have a very good law. The problem is that it’s not being implemented. There are many reasons — stigma, economic dependence or concern for children. But often, it’s the conviction that the state won’t do anything.”
The authorities have no complaints filed against either of the two people in the video. Still, neighbors claim that they know the couple had a lot of problems. They had heard them fight before.
A response to the video on Twitter says:
“When you hear a call for help, stick a spoon in, call the police, try to prevent another femicide — the killing of girls or women, particularly by a man and on account of gender.”
Still, some women don’t feel that calling the police will help.
Juliete da Silva Oliveira, a 24-year-old housecleaner, says that she was laughed at when she tried to get a restraining order on an ex, who had sent her threatening messages after their breakup. She claims that the police told her it was normal for men to get angry after a breakup.
She now lives in fear. She explained:
“He doesn’t have my new address, but I’m still afraid to walk around alone. Now maybe people will understand how scary it is.”
Domestic violence has been a problem in Brazil for a while.
A 2017 report says:
“When women in Roraima do call the police, they face considerable barriers to having their cases heard. In some instances, police do not even respond to calls: military police—the state police force that patrols the streets—told Human Rights Watch that, for lack of personnel, they do not respond to all emergency calls from women who say they are experiencing domestic violence.
“Other women are turned away at police stations. Both domestic violence victims and authorities told us that some officers of the civil police—the state police force that receives criminal complaints and investigates crimes—in Boa Vista, the state’s capital, refuse to attend to women who want to file a complaint about an act of domestic violence or seek a protection order. Instead, they direct them to the single ‘women’s police station’ in the state—tasked with registering and investigating crimes against women—even at times when that station is closed.”
While this video is definitely hard to watch, and the story is heartbreaking, it may help to raise awareness about the domestic abuse problems in Brazil and save the lives of other women.
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