Jul 23 2009
Who is Really Guilty and of What? (When Children Commit Heinous Crimes)
Well if you’re like me, a lot of headline news in general makes you sick to the stomach. If it doesn’t you simply aren’t watching enough news. Here’s one story that is as hair raising as is tragic. In Philadelphia, an eight year old girl was raped. The perpetrators were boys ranging from 9-14. The story on CNN as well as in the YouTube clip illustrates that the boys all lived in the same apartment building and were all from Liberia as was the girl. They all knew each other too. The girl was lured to a tool shed with the offer of gum and then the assault occurred. The attack took place on July 16th.
An absolutely horrifying story no? It gets worse. If what the little girl had to live through was not bad enough, when her parents learnt of the attack they told her she was to blame. They told her that she had caused them shame. At least this detail was picked up right away by authorities. She has been removed from parental custody and is now in care of Philadelphia child protective services. The boys had admitted to preparing a strategy to commit the offense prior to the commission of this heinous crime.
What caused these children to do this? Is it too much idle time? Combined with what else? Poor role models? Exposure to sexual materials or inappropriate behavior? Did all four have sick minds to begin with? Not likely all four. What kind of a role did the parents play in this? Of course they wouldn’t have participated in the crime - but how did these children end up thinking that this was okay? How? These four young boys have likely ruined this girl’s life. They at least have given her deep emotional scarring that if she learns to work through, it will take her decades.
As for her parents, I realize they are from a different culture where their reaction might be considered typical - still that doesn’t make it right. Let’s hope the authorities manage to bring their thoughts around. If not she is obviously better off without them. I was reading history of families turning their back on rape victims, believing that the rape brought them humiliation. Read this story about Palestine killings related to this phenomenon. If you read the reasoning of people that explain why these killings occur, they are a surreal concoction of utter silliness, twisted moralities, and twisted rationalizations/justifications. In what way is a woman responsible for the thoughts of a man focused on raping her?
Those committing the killings (murderers) must honestly know it to be the responsibility of men that rapes occur. I suppose that in their male dominated societies they feel the need to propagate the cycle of domination. These stories illustrate that in some nations women are still mere property to do with as men will choose.
Oh by the way, is it just my imagination, or is Philadelphia in the news way too much lately?
Hey I was just getting ready to blog about the following cnn story: With four Phoenix, Arizona, boys ages 9 to 14 charged with sexual assault on an 8-year-old girl/but just wanted to know if you saw this one too?
Yes, my story is linked to it and written in reference to it.