The Australian Rape case
Saira Rizwan
December 12, 2007
There is a serious problem of protecting underage children in communities facing drugs and alcohol problems across the world. The Aborigines community like other such groups needs strong support to help protect their children that are unable to take care of themselves.
The judge who presided the rape case of a 10-year-old girl of Aborigine descent must go. Reportedly, the victim of gang rape was first raped when she was seven. The unlucky girl after the first rape, after spending sometime with the local social service setup was returned to her community as part of political process (to avoid past mistake of lost generation) where she was raped for second time by three adults and six youths. The political background of this lost generation is that due to Aborigines adoptions by the Europeans including Australians, the cultural experts believed that the adopted Aborigines children were had lost touch with there roots and culture.
The hapless victim had to suffer because of cultural experts and those pursuing political correctness.
The prompt response shown by the new Australian Prime Minister in the case is reassuring and it is hoped that the case will be dealt with in accordance to law of the land. Reportedly, the Queensland Attorney General has clarified the ambiguity that was reported to be at the heart of the case. According to the details of the case, the judge had released the defendants on the ground that the victim might had given consent for the sex. AG Shine while talking to BBC and other networks said that according to Queensland law under 12 children cannot legally give consent for sex. In other words, the consent if it was there is lawfully inadmissible.
There are indications that an appeal is being filed to review the court’s decision. The legal experts including Australian PM and Queensland AG have termed the verdict inexplicable. There are also reports that the last two years decisions of the court will also be reviewed.
These developments are important because reports of social workers from North of Queensland mostly inhabited by Aborigines showed Alcoholic parents were unable to protect their children from sexual predators which was leading to increase in sex related crimes including rapes of children as young as 7-year-old. This decision of the court allowing nine people to walk away would have made matters worse and even encouraged more such crimes.
If PM and the Queensland authorities manage to translate their words into action it will send a clear signal to the criminals and potential attackers and help deter further offenses of similar nature. In this regard, it is equally important that the law lords also recognize their responsibilities to the local communities. They must extend the constitutional protection to the victims as part of their judicial obligation. The ouster of the concerned judge should send a clear message to the judiciary.
The social services, law enforcement agencies and local leadership should not wait for intervention and media reports to protect the public in their constituencies. The media has already reported high suicide rates in prisons holding Aborigines. It is about time the facts are determined to end the speculations on the issue. The matter should be resolved in accordance to the recommendations of Aborigine community leaders, health professionals and human rights workers.
Finally, there is a serious problem of protecting underage children in communities facing drugs and alcohol problems across the world. The Aborigines community like other such groups needs strong support to help protect their children that are unable to take care of themselves. In this regard, tough measures need to be introduced and the entire community should be brought on board including judiciary, law enforcement and social service agencies and political leadership to control and end this menace.
The judge who presided the rape case of a 10-year-old girl of Aborigine descent must go. Reportedly, the victim of gang rape was first raped when she was seven. The unlucky girl after the first rape, after spending sometime with the local social service setup was returned to her community as part of political process (to avoid past mistake of lost generation) where she was raped for second time by three adults and six youths. The political background of this lost generation is that due to Aborigines adoptions by the Europeans including Australians, the cultural experts believed that the adopted Aborigines children were had lost touch with there roots and culture.
The hapless victim had to suffer because of cultural experts and those pursuing political correctness.
The prompt response shown by the new Australian Prime Minister in the case is reassuring and it is hoped that the case will be dealt with in accordance to law of the land. Reportedly, the Queensland Attorney General has clarified the ambiguity that was reported to be at the heart of the case. According to the details of the case, the judge had released the defendants on the ground that the victim might had given consent for the sex. AG Shine while talking to BBC and other networks said that according to Queensland law under 12 children cannot legally give consent for sex. In other words, the consent if it was there is lawfully inadmissible.
There are indications that an appeal is being filed to review the court’s decision. The legal experts including Australian PM and Queensland AG have termed the verdict inexplicable. There are also reports that the last two years decisions of the court will also be reviewed.
These developments are important because reports of social workers from North of Queensland mostly inhabited by Aborigines showed Alcoholic parents were unable to protect their children from sexual predators which was leading to increase in sex related crimes including rapes of children as young as 7-year-old. This decision of the court allowing nine people to walk away would have made matters worse and even encouraged more such crimes.
If PM and the Queensland authorities manage to translate their words into action it will send a clear signal to the criminals and potential attackers and help deter further offenses of similar nature. In this regard, it is equally important that the law lords also recognize their responsibilities to the local communities. They must extend the constitutional protection to the victims as part of their judicial obligation. The ouster of the concerned judge should send a clear message to the judiciary.
The social services, law enforcement agencies and local leadership should not wait for intervention and media reports to protect the public in their constituencies. The media has already reported high suicide rates in prisons holding Aborigines. It is about time the facts are determined to end the speculations on the issue. The matter should be resolved in accordance to the recommendations of Aborigine community leaders, health professionals and human rights workers.
Finally, there is a serious problem of protecting underage children in communities facing drugs and alcohol problems across the world. The Aborigines community like other such groups needs strong support to help protect their children that are unable to take care of themselves. In this regard, tough measures need to be introduced and the entire community should be brought on board including judiciary, law enforcement and social service agencies and political leadership to control and end this menace.
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