Woman reports sexual harassment by Israeli tourist in Salvador: 'I'm still shaking'

A woman reported having been the victim of sexual harassment by an Israeli tourist, on Friday afternoon (6), in the Barra neighborhood, in Salvador. In a video published on social media, she reported that she was approached by the man while walking home, after undergoing tests at a hospital, where she received treatment for a broken finger.

According to Carolina Carvalho, the man crossed the street to talk to her and began asking invasive questions, in English, about her appearance and where she lived. She said she tried to end the conversation, but the tourist insisted on approaching her. The case is investigated by the Civil Police.

"He came in a super invasive way, getting very close to me, placing his body. And saying: 'You are very beautiful, where do you live?'. I didn't show much audacity and continued walking", he reported.

Carolina stated that she initially responded to the man because she believed he could be a tourist looking for information. However, she realized that the approach had another intention when he started making comments about her appearance.

During the conversation, Carolina asked where the man was from and he replied that he had come from Israel. Given the insistence, she decided to continue walking and went to a police station to file a police report.

"I went straight to the police station. I was extremely shaken, shaking, I'm still shaking even now and I'm scared. Because this man, it seems, is staying in the area where I live and he was extremely aggressive and disrespectful towards me", she said.

In the video, Carolina classified the approach as a situation of sexual harassment and stated that she also intends to contact the Israeli embassy to report the episode.

The woman also said that she decided to make the case public because she believed that other women may be going through similar situations in the region.

"This won't go unnoticed. I've already filed the police report. I'm going to the embassy too. I'm already trying to contact some friends who are journalists here," he stated.

Carolina said that, upon arriving home, she reported the episode to her cousin and discovered that her family member had also gone through a similar situation, in which she needed help to get away from a man.

She also stated that, while attending the police station, she heard from a deputy that other women had reported similar approaches in Barra.

"I'm a white woman, well-educated, I speak perfect English and I was able to answer him appropriately and get out of there. I went after and filed my complaint. But what if it wasn't? What if it was an underage girl?", he asked.

At the end of the video, Carolina asked that the images be shared to give visibility to the complaint and demanded measures from the authorities to guarantee the safety of women.

Police investigate the case

In a statement, the Civil Police reported that the 14th Territorial Police Station (DT/Barra) is investigating a complaint of sexual harassment registered on Friday (6), in the Barra neighborhood.

According to the corporation, the incident indicates that the victim was approached by two men, who had non-consensual physical contact with her and then began to hurl insults.

The Civil Police also reported that they are carrying out efforts to identify the suspects and clarify the circumstances of the case.