A WOMAN claims she woke up to a man trying to rape her in a Paris hotel after an airline booked her into a room with a stranger.
The unnamed 30-year-old from Brazil said the arrangement was made by TAP Air Portugal after her flight from Paris to Lisbon was cancelled.
Personal Archive for Portugal GiroThe woman claims she woke up to her roommate trying to rape her[/caption]
Reportedly a copy of the voucher booking three people in to the hotel room
The man was also a passenger on the cancelled flight – and they ended up in a double room due to a shortage of singles, the woman told O Globo.
After taking their seats on the plane, passengers were reportedly told to disembark and visit the TAP kiosk.
Here, reservation vouchers for hotel rooms could be collected.
But single rooms were limited, and the woman claimed she was told by the airline she would have to spend the night in the hotel with other passengers.
She told O Globo: “I refused, demanding a room just for myself, but I was told that this was not an option: either I had to accept, or pay out of my own pocket, something that was unfeasible for me in Paris.”
A German women and a Brazilian man were apparently booked into the room alongside her.
The woman, who works as a consultant, continued: “During the night, the German woman left the room and I was woken up with the naked man on top of me, kissing my neck, holding me down, trying to rape me.
“Luckily, I managed to defend myself, screamed, and he left the room. Still, the scars of the episode remain.”
She claims to have contacted TAP after the traumatic ordeal but received no response.
However, she did receive guidance on how to access the services of the Portuguese Victim Support Association (APAV).
A lawsuit has reportedly been filed against the airline for “moral harassment and negligence”, and the woman is seeking legal and psychological support in Brazil.
She also filed a police report about the sexual harassment.
TAP allegedly proposed a settlement of R$3,000 (£409) before raising the offer to R$5,000 (£682) – but has not yet apologised or acknowledged an error.
The German woman, meanwhile, reportedly wrote a note explaining she had left the room because she couldn’t sleep.
She has also spoken to O Globo, confirming that she saw the Brazilian woman the following day looking “visibly emotionally shaken”.
She said: “The [assignment] of the room was imposed by the airline, without any possibility of refusal or individual choice, placing [passengers] in a situation of vulnerability.”
The alleged victim says she has come forward in the hope of warning other passengers about the potential dangers of these situations – and to seek accountability from the airline.
She said: “How many other reports from women in vulnerable situations were silenced due to a lack of support or strength to continue?
“I had Brazil on my side. And what about the Portuguese women?”
Lawyer Nathália Magalhães is representing the Brazilian woman, who said her client is seeking compensation of up to R$50,000 (£6,825).
Magalhães said: “Unfortunately, we were very disappointed to realise that, even with the lawsuit, the company did not send an apology or show concern.
“It’s unacceptable that they could only offer accommodation at that hotel and in shared rooms. It’s humiliating treatment.”
The Sun has contacted TAP Portugal for comment.
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