The men seeking revenge on social media have punched, staged stabbings and pointed guns at camera phones – which they call “training if she says no.”
“He” in question? Women who refuse their romantic allure.
While the online videos are being framed as satire, anti-domestic violence campaigners fear the trend could help to normalize violence against women – as evidenced by the shocking health incidents.
20-year-old Brazilian Alana Rosa turned down a man at her gym, Luis Felipe Sampaio, who was reportedly throwing gifts at her. After repeatedly refusing compensation, the accused allegedly broke into her home in São Gonçalo, near Rio de Janeiro, and stabbed her nearly 50 times before being stopped by her mother, according to France24.
He was then rushed to the hospital and underwent multiple surgeries, while unconscious, to recover from his injuries.
Miraculously, Rosa survived the attack. His mother, Jaderluce de Oliveira, told local officials that the attacker followed the same content online — details that alarmed investigators and the public alike.
With his supporters behind him, Rosa went to the first criminal trial against Sampaio on April 15.
“I think he should stay in prison forever, but I know that’s not going to happen,” de Oliveira told AFP reporters during a press conference on the day of the trial.
Rosa’s story is just an example of many in Brazil.
More than 1,400 women in the country will die at the hands of a man in 2025 alone, according to the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, surpassing the previous record of 2024.
The concept of femicide was codified into law 10 years earlier.
However, research from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro revealed 123 YouTube channels based in Brazil that promote misogynistic propaganda, boasting a combined total of 23 million subscribers as of 2024, International Business Times reported.
A dangerous meme, which circulates a lot among men in Brazil on TikTok, shows violent training tips that you can use against women who say no.
To add insult to injury, the practice became widespread as women around the world celebrated International Women’s Day on March 8.
Experts say the trend reflects a society where men feel entitled to women – who feel justified in sanctioning violence against women who refuse.
“It’s all about positions, and women are positioned as controllable,” Professor Fiona Macaulay, an expert on gender-based violence in Brazil at Bradford University, told the Daily Mail.
“The idea that women should have equality is seen as somehow threatening.”
He went on to include the country’s far-right former president, Jair Bolsonaro, who supported hypermasculine values and “machismo”.
“There was a kind of permission given to use violence that I don’t think was there before,” added Macaulay.
Meanwhile, current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva recently warned that “men are becoming more and more inhuman and violent.”
Brazilian cybercrime officials recently launched an investigation into the videos, expressing concern that they may fuel violence against women, and asked TikTok to remove the content while preserving user data linked to the account, according to the Straits Times.
Despite the removal, officials reported that variations of the practice continued to spread on social media.
