A young woman has come forward with a deeply disturbing account of the SA she says she endured at the hands of Melqui Galvao, describing a pattern of manipulation that began when she was just 12 years old and escalated over time.
The testimony, which has since aired across major Brazilian outlets including SBT, CNN, and Globo, has been startling.
In her own words, the young woman described how Galvao first gained her trust before luring her to an isolated location under false pretenses. “When he picked me up, he took me to the store where I chose the Gi, I chose it, and then he didn’t take me home, he took me to a private place,” she said. “Today I recognize that the place used to be a hotel. When I entered the place, I didn’t know what it was because I had a view of the front of the place, but there was nothing written on it. He entered through the back.”
She went on to describe the escalating nature of the abuse.
The young woman stated that the abuse reached its most severe point when she was 14.
She also expressed her belief that other girls from her training circle endured the same treatment. “I know three girls who trained with me, and I’m sure they went through this. When I saw other situations happening and the accounts being the same, I thought, ‘Man, this guy is really sick, he did this to so many others, so many.'”
Her message to others who may have experienced similar abuse was clear and direct. “This situation needs to be stopped, and justice needs to be served in relation to it as well. The more women who show up today, the better.”
The coach sharing the testimony noted that at least one other young woman, a 17-year-old whose identity is being protected, had previously shown courage by not staying silent, a decision that ultimately contributed to Galvao being exposed. Authorities are now involved as additional accounts continue to emerge.
