A young woman was reportedly assaulted and sexually attacked by a man on a train in Paris before a courageous passenger stepped in to help upon hearing her distress. The incident occurred on the morning of October 16 between Choisy-le-Roi and Villeneuve-le-Roi stations on Line C of the Réseau Express Régional (RER) train.
Jhordana Dias, a 26-year-old Brazilian national, can be heard pleading for assistance in a video where her alleged attacker gestures towards the intervening woman before fleeing when the train halts. The footage capturing Jhordana’s alarming cries caused nationwide uproar after being released by French newspaper Le Parisien.
According to Jhordana, the man noticed her on the platform and entered the carriage as the doors were closing while she was alone. She expressed her fear of an impending attack upon his entrance, recalling, “When I saw him coming in, the way he had looked at me before, I felt I was going to be attacked.”
Subsequently, the suspect sat beside her and initiated a violent assault, with Jhordana enduring an alleged attempted rape. She recounted the traumatic experience, stating, “He pulled down my pants. I was fighting him the whole time, and he kept pushing me down onto the seat.”
Her distress calls led a courageous woman in another carriage to take action. The woman recorded the suspect on her mobile phone, prompting him to flee the scene. Jhordana immediately contacted her brother, Cicero Junior, who stated that the attack had left his sister fighting for her life.
Upon Cicero’s arrival at the station 15 minutes later, the police and train security had been alerted, but the suspect had already escaped. Although initially receiving police assistance, Cicero later expressed a sense of neglect from the authorities.
A forensic examination was planned for October 29, but concerns arose that most of Jhordana’s injuries would have healed by then. Consequently, they sought help from a private doctor who confirmed her injuries, including neck stiffness, a bite mark, and facial scratches.
The suspect remains unidentified, shedding light on persistent safety issues for women on public transport in France. A recent report by the National Observatory on Violence Against Women revealed that seven in ten women in the Île-de-France region, including Paris, have encountered some form of sexual violence on public transport.
For confidential assistance, individuals can call the 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line at 0808 500 2222 or access chat and interpretation services online.