As all of my contacts, friends and family on Multiply know I've been living in Spain most of my life and have fully integrated into the Spanish way of life. I don't like bullfights, but then a lot of pro animal rights Spaniards don't either. However, there is one aspect of this society which pains me so much, and I've just heard of a similar incident happening in the US.
This month of July in two different parts of Spain, two 13-year-old girls have been the victims of gang rapes. The oldest assailants in both cases are just 15. The law in Spain says that anyone under 14 cannot be held accountable for his or her actions so most of these boys are still out on the street. One of the families has decided that they can't stand knowing that the boys are free to commit the same crime again if they so desire and seeing them and have decided to move away, but how will their daughter ever forget what happened to her? In the case in the US the little girl is only 8 while her rapists are between 9 and 14. The girl's family who are from Liberia say that it's her fault. At least social services have stepped in. I hope the family never see that child again! I don't criticise customs that are different from mine and I know in some cultures young children are married off. However, to say that a little 8 year-old girl is at fault is a mountain load of bull crap!
Many people in Spain don't agree with the law and want it changed. The only forward I've ever sent (and I'm sure I mentioned this before) was protesting the release of one of the rapists of a sweet girl named Sandra. Her rapists ran over her with a car, and then because she was still alive burnt her body. Can't you imagine the agony she must have suffered and that her family is still suffering?
As my dear grandmother always said, what is this world coming to? Haven't these people been taught right from wrong? Well, I totally disagree that a person younger than 14 doesn't know that crime is wrong. And here I sometimes think of that turtle that my little playmate and I stomped to death or the baby chicks I fed to the dog when I was 2.
I read that this morning, it's horrible.
ReplyDeleteRight and wrong is like black and white but there is so much grey in the world these days. So many excuses to peoples behavior. Some kids don't know any better because their parents are MIA at best.
ReplyDeleteyou have mentioned the girl who was raped, run over and burned before and it is the most horrific case, awful, how on earth can her family ever get over that??. I never heard about the 8 year old in America.............that her parents hold her responsible is unbelievable, what kind of people are they?? I would say they are as bad as the rapists for blaming a little 8 year old child.
ReplyDeletethese days children commit rape, murder and violent crime, it's awful but i don't think any one knows what to do about it or how to stop it or how society has changed so much that children commit such awful crimes. I know the youths you are talking about should be held accountable but some serious crimes are being committed by young children, 8/ 9 year olds...what on earth can we do about that??
I AGREE WITH EVERY WORD. VIOLENCE IS WRONG .. IT SIS ESPECIALLY WRONG ON INNOCENT CHILDREN AND ELDERLY. I HOPE THESE KIDS GET THE HELP THEY NEED. LOVE YA BRENDA
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you said this.................I have thought this for a while and then I thought I was just being a bit silly and no one meant any harm and its just the sort of thing loads of people do. But truth is..........when someone here uses a picture of their boobs or maybe a bum in very tight shorts, or any thing like that.. I really don't like them on my page, I don't want sexy provocative avatars on my page, I have even deleted people to keep their friends of my page if I don't like the way they look or the things they write. Like you I'm not that keen on all the artificial huggy wuggy stuff, I hate it. So I would just like to thank you for being honest enough to write what I have been thinking to myself. I have also known people who suffered abuse.............it brings home the reality of all this so called harmless stuff.
ReplyDeleteOhmygosh, Brenda, that's just horrible. Even here when my daughter was in middle school there were some boys in her school that were preditory...if you do this (orally) for me I won't tell everyone that you're ........fill in the blanks...or if you do this I'll sit at lunch with you...there are some girls with low enough self esteem that fall for that stuff. But this is just so far over the edge and to have these kids get away with it until next time, that in itself is criminal and makes me angry at the system.
ReplyDeleteIt's part of our culture unfortunately that alluring or desirable to some is seen as dressing scantily...young people, both kids and young adults don't get that it's not about the wrapping (or lack thereof) it's all about what's inside the package.
Thanks for posting it...it's horrible and needs to be changed.
I am a firm believer in the punishment fitting the crime, but that happening is rare in this world. I agree with your grandmother Brenda.
ReplyDeleteI hope the law gets changed there. I also hope as you do, the parents of the eight yr old never see her again. I pray nmothing more happens to her in a foster home. They can be a bad as being on the street sometimes.
An ex friend's husband supposedly raped her daughter decades ago. She did not believe her daughter, and allowed the father to stay.
She left him once then took him back, but it was due to trouble they were having, and not what the daughter reported to her mother.
The mother felt she needed the income and health insurance he provided. I'm sorry to judge, but I think she could have survived another way.
The daughter had already married before I found out.
Many years after they divorced he was charged for doing that to another child. Had he been held accountable for doing that to his own child, that may never have happened to another child!
It's not wrong to judge--we have to at times
ReplyDeleteIt's not a perfect world
I am a religious person and my God allowed judging for Earth matters He will be finale judge for life. . He appointed some. He told others too. The congregations had to judge too in the NT. People like to quote "Do not judge" but they are not reading the whole book. They are picking scriptures at random and the book wasn't meant to be that way (that is in the book too) Satan used the scriptures too --to twist minds--knowing many wouldn't know the whole book. But anyways==Right after he said but if you judge -judge in righteousness.
Buddha too had to judge/ Even though people pick what they want there too. They don't follow all the teachings they should harmonize with all he believed. Or what good is it --id we all just pick and choose what we want?
But even if your not religious
What if we didn't judge Hitler what hope would there have been for the victims?
What if we didn't judge murderers--would they stop?
What if no business ever judge an employee would that make the job better?
What if we didn't judge any abuser? Wouldn't they like that?
I don't feel guilty in judging wrong. I think we just have to make sure we judge in righteousness
Everyday we have to make judgments. And hopefully we will make just ones. Ones that say wrong is wrong and right is right. It will make for a better world.
That story you said 1mariea --I have heard that before too. Repeaters. Happens often . Way to often. Especially if we don't hold them accountable- hard and strong. Even if they have a sad story--don't we all that..
Sound mean--no it shows you want to protect anyone innocence from being ever hurt. and I think that is good
This is so horrifyingly wrong. I know it's happens and probably has happened long before our generation, but it doesn't stop such brutality from being shocking. Sometimes mere "children" can be the cruelest of all. It makes me want to cry for the inhumanity of human kind.
ReplyDelete