Brazil: Woman locked in 3 sq metre room, punished for pregnancy, rescued after 16 yrs

Ceará (Brazil): A Brazilian woman in Uruburetama, was rescued on March 9, after 16 years of imprisonment in a tiny 3x3 metre room. The police arrested her family members for illegally detaining her for so long. The woman, who had become pregnant after an affair, was incarcerated by her family as they couldn’t bear the shame.

According to a report in the Daily Mail, the father and brother of Maria Lúcia de Almeida Braga, now 36, locked her in the room 16 years ago, when she was expecting a baby. The room had no toilet and its walls smelled of faeces and urine. During her pregnancy, she was forced to sleep in filth on a makeshift hammock and had to be naked most of the time.

The police arrived at the property after they were anonymously tipped off. A police spokesperson said that there was only one shuttered window in the room and no electricity.

He said it was in a very remote area and cars did not pass by. “No matter how loud she screamed, she would not have been heard”, he added.

Maria Lúcia’s brother João de Almeida Braga, 48, has been arrested for imprisoning and mistreating her, but will face a prison sentence of only eight years. Her father has not been arrested because he suffered a stroke and is weak.

The mother did her best to save her daughter from being punished, but failed. She developed psychological problems and is bed-ridden.

Maria Lúcia’s son, who was given away to a third party at birth, has been identified. He is now 15 years old and the police hope to reunite him with his mother.