CNN today reported on the story of an 8 year old girl in Phoenix who was gang raped in a shed in her neighborhood by 4 boys who live nearby. The girl, and her four attackers, were Liberian, which I wouldn't feel compelled to share, except that that's where CNN went wrong.
The girl's family is blaming her, and describes the shame they feel that the crime has brought on their family. That's hard to swallow, but not necessarily an uncommon reaction. CNN had a Liberian man on via telephone to explain to all of us Americans how rape is dealt with in his country and community- are we supposed to believe that there is one response to rape in the Liberian community? While the reporter repeatedly made statements about how rape is treated in America, most absurdly after mentioning that since the family and perpetrators are here on refugee status, they needed to follow our rules and approach to dealing with things. CNN managed to make them sound like aliens and us like the world champions of rape victims. America's brilliant response to rape may not ring true in the memories of many victims/survivors in this country.
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I read about this horrible story on yahoo news. Personally, whether it's cultural or not, this family should be called out on their reaction.
I know that it's considered improper to question the way things are done in other cultures, though we often criticize our own. But if anyone anywhere is shaming rape victims, yeah, I'm going to say "fuck that, it's wrong."
I hope this poor girl is taken somewhere where she'll be loved and wanted, and helped getting as much recovery as she can. Whatever her family's issue may be, they don 't deserve this child. I also hope those rapist boys are nailed to the wall and not let off easy because they're minors themselves. If you're old enough to rape, you're old enough to rot for life because of it.
"...I know that it's considered improper to question the way things are done in other cultures, though we often criticize our own. But if anyone anywhere is shaming rape victims, yeah, I'm going to say 'fuck that, it's wrong.'..."
Exactly! It's a horrible custom when it's a Liberian culture's custom and when it's an American culture's custom and when it's an Iranian culture's custom and...
"...I hope this poor girl is taken somewhere where she'll be loved and wanted, and helped getting as much recovery as she can. Whatever her family's issue may be, they don 't deserve this child. I also hope those rapist boys are nailed to the wall and not let off easy because they're minors themselves. If you're old enough to rape, you're old enough to rot for life because of it."
Right on.
"...I know that it's considered improper to question the way things are done in other cultures, though we often criticize our own..."
BTW, isn't it more like "considered improper to question patriarchs who have male privilege, heterosexual privilege, able-bodied privilege, and generally every privilege but our-culture privilege"?
Seems to me that CNN's condemnation of this patriarch oppressing his daughter was a success no matter how Anglo-American he isn't. It also seems to me that implying "supposed to believe that there is one response to rape in the Liberian community" and forgetting that "America's brilliant response to rape may not ring true in the memories of many victims/survivors in this country" were CNN's only failures here.
I am glad that CPS is holding on to this girl.
I don't care if shame or other reactions is their culture (and rape allegedly only outlawed in Liberia in 2006). If I were in their country, I would be judged by their culture and their laws.
I don't think CNN was out of line here.
Parents are supposed to protect and stand by their child at all costs. The reaction from the little girl's family is disgusting and abusive. What happens when she sees that little clip when she grows up?
I hope the asylum board has an opportunity to see this video. This is sickening.
Yeaaaaaa sociologist here, not anthropologist and so I have to agree that regardless of the culture's beliefs or customs, this is sickening and utterly wrong. And I have no problem saying that or with what CNN did. Sorry.
Now the BBC has chimed in more intelligently:
"Outcry over disowned US rape girl," reporter's name not given, 04:40 GMT, Saturday, 25 July 2009 05:40 UK, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8168480.stm :
"Offers of help are pouring in for an eight-year-old Liberian girl disowned by her own family in Phoenix, Arizona, after being raped by four boys.
"The girl is under the care of the Arizona Child Protective Service (CPS) because her parents said she had shamed them, and they did not want her back.
"Phoenix police said calls had come in from all over the US offering money, or even to adopt the young girl.
"The boys, Liberian immigrants aged nine to 14, have been charged with rape.
"The case has sparked outrage across the US and even drawn condemnation from Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, an outspoken anti-rape campaigner.
"'I think that family is wrong. They should help that child who has been traumatised,' Mrs Johnson-Sirleaf told CNN.
"'They too need serious counselling because clearly they are doing something, something that is no longer acceptable in our society here,' she added.
"Brutal attack
"Media reports said the girl was lured into a shed on 16 July with promises of chewing gum by the four young boys.
"There, they held her down and took turns assaulting her for 10 to 15 minutes, before her screams alerted officers nearby.
"The oldest suspect, a 14-year-old boy, will be tried as an adult on charges of kidnapping and sexual assault, police said on Friday. He is being held in police custody until trial.
"The other three - aged 9, 10, and 13 - are charged as juveniles with sexual assault and kidnapping.
"But the police said no charges will be filed against the parents.
"'They didn't abandon the child,' Phoenix police sergeant Andy Hill told AFP news agency. 'They committed no crime. They just didn't support the child, which led to CPS coming over there.'
"Sgt Hill said people from eight or nine US states had called wanting to adopt the girl or donate money.
"'It has been unbelievably fantastic in terms of support for the child,' he said."
Womanist Musings has a great post on this, which nicely sums up the problems with CNN's "culture" discussion. http://www.womanist-musings.com/2009/07/8-year-old-victim-blamed-for-her-own.html
Wish I could've summed it up like that!
I agree with spikethecat who've said that all "Parents are supposed to protect and stand by their child at all costs." In practice, however there are myriad reasons why this does not always play out.
"Womanist Musings has a great post on this, which nicely sums up the problems with CNN's 'culture' discussion. http://www.womanist-musings.com/2009/07/8-year-old-victim-blamed-for-her-own.html
"Wish I could've summed it up like that!"
Summed it up by handing a patriarch another heaping helping of male/straight/married/etc. privilege? After all, the male parent who said the words about not wanting his daughter back and the male children who raped and the female child who was raped and female President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf who the BBC said CNN said condemned the father are Liberians, but guess who gets the "quite possible that they don’t understand what they are being asked" benefit of the doubt in that blog post...
"I agree with spikethecat who've said that all 'Parents are supposed to protect and stand by their child at all costs.' In practice, however there are myriad reasons why this does not always play out."
Yeah, and more like myriad reasons why parents don't always play this out.