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Post by Heavenly ♥ on Jul 24, 2009 11:18:52 GMT -5
Police: 8 year old Girl Gang Raped by 4 Boys
PHOENIX -- Officers responding to a report of hysterical screams found an 8-year-old girl partially clothed and four boys, barely in their teens, running from an empty shed.
The boys, ages 9 to 14, face charges ranging from sexual assault to kidnapping, police said Thursday. Authorities in Phoenix say it's one of the most horrific cases they've ever seen.
Investigators said the boys lured the girl to an empty shed on July 16 under the pretense of offering her gum. The boys then held the girl down while they took turns raping her, police said.
"She was brutally sexually assaulted for a period of about 10 to 15 minutes," police Sgt. Andy Hill said.
The 14-year-old boy was charged Wednesday as an adult with two counts of sexual assault and kidnapping, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office said. He appeared in court Thursday and was being held without bond. He does not yet have a defense lawyer.
The other boys -- ages 9, 10, and 13 -- were charged as juveniles with sexual assault. The 10- and 13-year-old boys also were charged with kidnapping, the office said Thursday.
"This is a deeply disturbing case that has gripped our community," Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas said. "Our office will seek justice for the young victim in this heartrending situation."
The outrage over the allegations has intensified when police said the girl's parents criticized her after the attack and blamed her for bringing shame on the family.
"The father told the case worker and an officer in her presence that he didn't want her back. He said 'Take her, I don't want her,'" Hill said.
Hill cited the family's background as the reason the family shunned the girl. All five children are refugees from the West African nation of Liberia.
In some parts of Africa, women often are blamed for being raped for enticing men or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Girls who are raped often are shunned by their families.
"It's a shame-based culture, so the crime is not as important as protecting the family name and the name of the community," said Tony Weedor, a Liberian refugee in Littleton, Colo., and co-founder of the CenterPoint International Foundation, which helps Liberians resettle in the United States.
"I just feel so sorry for this little girl," he said. "Some of these people will not care about the trauma she's going through -- they're more concerned about the shame she brought on the family."
In recent years, Liberia has made efforts to combat rape under the leadership of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who has sought to dispel the stigma associated with sexual assault by publicly acknowledging that she was herself the victim of attempted rape during the country's civil war.
The girl's healing process will be particularly difficult, said Paul Penzone of Childhelp, which aids young victims of crime. Authorities said the victim was in the care of Child Protective Services.
"These four boys used what was a ploy to entice her to a place where they could take advantage of her almost like a pack of wolves," he said.
"And what's so disturbing beyond the initial crime is the fact that a child needs to have somewhere to feel safe, and you would think that would be in a home with her own family," not in state custody, Penzone said.
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Post by Heavenly ♥ on Jul 24, 2009 11:20:20 GMT -5
My heart breaks for this poor girl. Where will she go ? Who will take care of her ?
Can you imagine whats going through her poor mind? It will be hard enough for her to deal w/ what happened. Add what her parents are doing to her .. poor girl.
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Post by weebitty on Jul 24, 2009 15:51:55 GMT -5
I think the parents should be prosecuted for cruelty as well!!!! I have never understood how people can think this way!!! I don't care how you were raised you have your own mind to make up and you have to know deep down in your soul this is wrong thinking on the parents part. Take the other kids away from those parents if they can't do any better job than that. They shouldn't be parents!!!! But that doesn't help the little girl. She will need a special family to help her get over this. Hopefully someone will step up to the plate and help her. She shouldn't be returned to the biological parents would be the first step to healing!!! If they have that kind of attitude she will never heal.
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Post by tara on Jul 25, 2009 21:13:06 GMT -5
I agree what kind of POS do you have to be to turn away your own child who was brutally attacked. That poor baby, it's heart beaking. I hope someday she finds the support she will need to move on.
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Post by crimsulent on Jul 27, 2009 11:38:00 GMT -5
i was horrified by the story too
not to make an excuse for the parents, but i think the key is the line where they explain the family comes from a 'shame based culture'
it's very difficult, if not impossible, for adults raised in such a culture to adapt to our cultural norms. they will probably always view their daughter as stigmatized.
a similar cultural conflict arises in the case of female circumcision. in their culture it is the norm, here it is considered genital mutilation. (many here object to male circumcision, too, of course, but it's really not exactly comparable)
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Post by Organized Chaos on Jul 27, 2009 13:30:34 GMT -5
A 9 & 10 year old?? I can barely wrap my mind around that. Pure evil.
In following crimsulent's comments, I agree that you have to consider the culture from which the family is from. Yes we may think it's disgusting behavior & maybe even criminal to react that way as a parent, but they come from a different place, a drastically different culture. As wrong as we may think it is, that is what's normal to them. Just as normal as fighting for our children's safety is to us.
Do I agree with the father's reaction? Hell no! But we can't expect every culture to live the way we do.
I'm not trying to make light of the story, but it reminds me of the movie, A Time To Kill, minus the racial aspect of it.
I would take pleasure in taking the life of anyone who seriously harmed my son.
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Post by weebitty on Jul 27, 2009 16:13:17 GMT -5
well you maybe right in your opinions on how you were raised and your belief system but there have been alot of people in their own culture that strick out against it knowning there is something wrong with that way of thinking. I guess if you were never exposed to other ideas it would be hard to believe a different way. But that is hard to buy into in this day and age with the influence of internet, tv, radio that have brought the countries closer together. I don't buy into the defense that just because you were abused you get to do it to others. I am an individual who is willing to listen to all sides but the final decision is mine to make. I am 61 years old and have changed my mind several times over my lifetime. I am just very opinionated when it comes to children and animals. I don't mean to upset anyone here. Just offer an opinion. weebitty
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Post by Connie on Jul 29, 2009 10:51:05 GMT -5
It's a horrible story and if rape in their culture brings shame upon the family, I am GLAD she is in protective custody and will get the counseling and help she so desperately needs. I hope they put all those boys away for a very long time. Unfortunately the ones charged as juveniles will be out with their records expunged when they are 18.
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Post by havingfunnow on Jul 29, 2009 22:38:19 GMT -5
...Unfortunately the ones charged as juveniles will be out with their records expunged when they are 18. You do realize that this is not exactly true.
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Post by eileen on Aug 1, 2009 21:30:37 GMT -5
The young girl needs to be taken from her so called family. Hopefully some supported foster than adoptive family will take her in. This is one of those 'cultural things' that can not be tolerated here as is female circumcision, which is also practiced (still) by many from Liberia and other African countries.
As for the boys, too many lost children are turning deadly. It is a trend I am more afraid of then many.
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Post by tara on Aug 2, 2009 10:34:36 GMT -5
I have to agree with Eileen, this should not be tolerated. We pick and choose what culture traits are and are not acceptable. A good example from this board is language, everyone, myself included has an issue with people not speaking English but it's okay to shun your child for something horrific they have NO control over?
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Post by eagledream on Aug 6, 2009 16:25:43 GMT -5
If you havent ever read Alice Walker's book in regards to what women in parts of Africa are forced by culture to do I would suggest you might look up her book The Secret of Possessing Joy or at least see a summary of the story.
Afghan women certain Muslim sects Women,etc have NO rights e.g. South Africa Rape by sinlge men is veiwed as ok but as death for women. single men are not expected but not looked down for doing this for sure!
How can we tell people how to feel I dont beleive you can.
I feel such sadness multiplied by the facts of statements by the family.
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