Brazilian women are being forced to undergo virginity tests when seeking jobs in the education sector, which has sparked a lot of outrage amongst women's rights advocates.
The Public Prosecutor's Office in Sao Paulo is already investigating why women are being asked to either submit to gynecological tests or prove their virginity in order to apply for state jobs, the Huffington Post reported.
It was reported that women are being asked to undergo the tests before applying for a job posting at the state Education Department and women under 25 who are not sexually active have also been asked to provide a doctor's note confirming their virginity.
The gynecological exams, used to screen for certain cancers, are part of a long list of health tests that the Brazilian government may ask of job applicants for coveted state jobs, but the recent requirements for virginity tests has been perceived as invasive.
Advocate Ana Paula de Oliveira Castro said that this kind of tests violates women's rights, as it's a very intimate information that a woman has the right to keep and its absurd to continue with these demands.
Several government spokespeople have also criticized the requirement, with one federal official saying it runs contrary to the constitution, however, the state government has required the tests since at least 2012.