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Chris Collingridge / AFP - Getty Images
The seven suspects accused of gang raping a 17-year-old Soweto girl appear at the Roodepoort Regional Court, on April 19, 2012. EDITOR'S NOTE: The identity of the suspects has been digitally altered before msnbc.com received the image.
Protesters gathered outside a courthouse in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Thursday where eight suspects appeared in connection with the alleged gang rape of a mentally disabled 17-year-old girl, the BBC reported.
According to the report, protesters held signs that read "let them rot in jail" and "done with rapists."
The assault surfaced when a cellphone video of the attack went viral on the Web. According to local media, the video shows the suspects -- the youngest of whom is 14 -- laughing during the alleged rape of the girl, who is said to have the mental capacity of a 5-year-old. The girl can be heard screaming, "You are forcing me."
"When does it become acceptable amongst a group of peers to rape a girl and laugh about it? It just makes one sick to the stomach," women's league of the governing African National Congress said, according to The Guardian.
Violent attacks are common in South Africa; about 56,000 rapes were reported in the country last year, according to the BBC. Many more victims are said to remain silent.
The girl had been missing for weeks, The Guardian reported, but police were only prompted to act after the video surfaced.
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Wow!
Just blacks being blacks.Nothing new here.
funlover.... I will do everything I can to have you banned from this board. You are a blight on humankind.
From the jungles of Congo to the streets of South Central, they are all the same, everywhere.
What these criminals did is disgusting and deserving of the fullest prosecution of the law. I hope the good people of their community rise up and exact justice upon them.
The statements by funlover and Shandril are racist and not worth listening to.
Expert says gang rape is a sport for African males. It is a Macho thing.
They are just now trying to make this "sport" a crime.
What a shame. Sounds like every African girl has experienced this horrific event, including being raped by their male relatives, which is also acceptable..
Rape in Africa is nothing new. Can one imagine a parent in this country teaching their sons this is ok. The daughters mean nothing in these countries. Hope they are not driven by the Koran teachings.
Moral Values---It is still a Tribal Country, even Johannesburg, South Africa, a very Metropolitan City.
Cruel and sick..
Marchant, the US isn't much better when it comes to violent crimes like rape. Rapist get lest time in our justice systems the DUI convictions or marijauna users if the law decide to prosecute that is.
@funlover
WOW! You are beyond ignorant! People like you should be tied to the next North Korean missile test, along with the kids that did this! You are subhuman and every breath you take steals oxygen form the rest of humanity! Say hello to the grand wizard at your next KKK meeting for me!
Hey funlover, during the slave trade and intentional brutality of blacks in the 1700's and 1800's and most of the 1900's, was that just whites being whites? I just thought that comment was a little unbalnced. I am white.
According to US crime statistics, Blacks tend to commit more economic crimes than Whites, whiles Whites tends to commit more serial rape and rage shootings than Blacks. The total number of rapes per year in Los Angeles, Detroit, and New York combined easily exceed the number of rapes per year in South Africa. The total number of rapes per day in LA, Detroit, and NY combined easily exeed the combined number of rapes per year in either Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore.
Before arrogant America tries to pass judgment on South Africa, it should look at itself.
I recall about twenty years ago a high profile case in Eugene, Oregon where a guy raped a woman who was a complete paraplegic confined to a wheelchair. For those who need to keep score, he was white.
Marchant: "Hope they are not driven by the Koran teachings."
South Africa is 80% Christian, 1.5% Muslim. Sorry, your pet issue more than likely has nothing to do with this story.
\
South Africa is not a Muslim country. It's mostly Christian. Dutch settled.
Like the US, there is indeed a culture of violence, though. South Africa also has rather tense race relations, since their apartheid (ie segregation) was even more violent, lasted up until recently, and sick than that of the US....
If it was a Muslim country, these rapists would probably be castrated and hung upside down from a crane. One thing that Sharia law doesn't do is mess around.
Making up statistics is retarded. How about some real ones instead?
compared to:
I know I'm a bit fuzzy on the math here, but since when is 191k more than 500k?
Before you post idiotic comments in an attempt to whine about the US, how about you get your own bullsh*t information sorted out?
This is absolutely ridiculous. Rapists are about as dirty as the scum build up under a public bathrooms toilet lip. Throw every one of those @!$%#s in jail!
Ah, Africa..."The Motherland"....
the Rape and Child Rape Capital of the World can now add Handicapped People to that list....
Well said...and FUNLOVER...you hit the nail on the head!! Good show!
To all who have responded to me, Marchant, regarding the majority are Christians in South Africa--
Quoted from Wikipedia, "there has been a large influx of Islam people from South Asia, and other countries". Please read this page from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_South_Africa
Most know it's hard to control wild animals.
Unfortunately it seems no matter where you go, many justice systems do not take rape seriously. A rapist seems to get less time than drug dealers. 20 years for having drugs, 5 years for raping a woman. At least here in the states; Africa however is a whole other kettle of fish. It's sad to say, but rape is pretty widely accepted over in some parts of Africa and while everyone else frowns on it, many people over there do not. It's not a racist thing, it's just simple fact.
How about we quote Wikipedia again, which states that as of 2007, 75.3% of the population is Christian and 1.25% is Islamic.
Feel free to read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_South_Africa
Damn, that burns, doesn't it?
There have been studies indicating black folks like group and other forms of sex with multiple partners. Call it racism if you like but the reality is there have been scientific studies. I'll try to find the study for you folks.
I'm going to guess the Secret service prostitution thing has been around for awhile. Probably came to the surface because the current administration figured it was the norm and no one would notice when it went unchecked.
Chris from Yucaipa reported rapes in the US aren't high. But I would bet the unreported rapes is beyond your imagination. I'm sure many municipailities likely don't "report" the number of rapes unless required to do so. For example in my small town of 18,000k there were a 3 or 5 rapes reported. then there were sexual assaults too! yes they have found a grand way of classifying these crimes into catagories that minimize the numbers so they look like they are protecting the people. Then there are adolecent crimes that go unreported.
However per capita that puts my little city well above many nations. This was from the police chiefs annual reports. We have no bars, no theaters, no beaches, and only one or two small health clubs.
There is a lawsuit against the military for inaction of commanding officers who act as the judge, jury, and executioner in these investigations. In fact because of their moronic bravado, acting as untouchables with no need to follow any procedures but their own, that coward Lt.Erin Watada was able to get off the hook for refusing to deploy instead of being court marshalled and locked away.
I never stated at any time that rapes in the US are low or under reported.. I simple posted the number of reported. Big difference. I deal with facts, not this "But I would bet" type of thinking as you have.
Every crime that it is possible to commit is under reported. That's just common sense. However some are more under reported than others, rape being one of them due to the stigma it carries.
Also, I spent 13 of the last 20 years in the Navy. And while I have had a number of run-ins with legal over issues I had with a @!$%#ty supervisor, each time I was sent up before the Commanding Officer, I was exonerated by him and the supervisor both discredited and later transferred. Just like in the civilian world, you'll find corrupt leaders everywhere. However I do believe the military justice system does function effectively most of the time.
Oh, btw
I'm going to guess the Secret service prostitution thing has been around for awhile. Probably came to the surface because the current administration figured it was the norm and no one would notice when it went unchecked.
Don't assume or guess. Facts please. Show us prior incidents. Show us this is a systemic problem with the Secret Service, and not just another attempt by the Repubs in Congress to kick dirt at Obama.
I'm not sure which is the dumbest: funlover/Shandril, comparing estimated annual rapes in one country to a single year's reported rapes in another or citing Wikipedia as a valid reference for one's arguments.
Would you people PLEASE stop switching Every story around onto the US!? I Highly doubt we're as bad as Africa in the rape department. Some of you just Love to sound superior when putting down the US!
ALL rapist's from any country convicted should be made into eunuch, then spend time in prison. There are many crimes against humanity, but to me, rape is one of the most heinous of all crimes!
Chris from Yucaipa you posted numbers correcting someone else's numbers, but you stated:
"Making up statistics is retarded. How about some real ones instead?
The humanitarian news organization IRIN claims that an estimated 500,000 rapes are committed annually" in South Africa, but does not provide a source for this figure"
Which means your numbers are baseless since anybody can mention an estimated number without a source to fit its agenda. Perhaps you need to dig better before criticizing others. Judging by your postings you seem like a self-righteous guy that knows everything and is always right, which is not good for your health.
Reading comprehension is a valued trait, you should look into getting yourself a dose. Selectively copy/pasting parts of my comment is a great way to make it say whatever you like. My comment of
absolutely points out the fact that the numbers they cite have no source. However As IRIN is a respected news organization it is an adequate citation. Just as citing CNN would usually be sufficient to prove a point. But I took it a step farther and added the caveat that IRIN did not include a source. However, my next statement of:
was conveniently not mentioned in your post. Probably because it did cite a source and discredited your attempt to be witty at my expense. Your response?
South Africa, highest rate of rape in the world. You'd never catch me going there, let alone with wife, mother, sister, or any female companion whatsoever. Sick. Sick. Sick.
The latest statistics show Lesotho (a country that borders South Africa) has the highest number of rapes per capita, not South Africa. Next on the list after Lesotho is New Zealand, followed by Belgium, Iceland, and Norway. Guess you'd better keep your women folk away from a few other places as well.
@AlKhidr If you're looking at NationMaster, the statistics show the US at #57 with grand total of 30 rapes. Accurate?
The US isn't even listed for the most recent international statistics (2008) http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_rap_percap-crime-rapes-per-capita, but if it was, using Nationmaster's statistics for rapes, that would be .30 per 1000 people. Learn how to read statistics before posting.
So did they find the girl or just the video?? It isn't clear the way the story is written. It just says that she had been missing for weeks.
Judging by what is written, the poor girl has been and still is missing however police weren't going to do anything until the video came to light.
My best hopes and wishes that they find her alive. I truly hope these monsters who did this to her spend time in prison being a snug-buddy to some other man. With rape being such a large crime in Africa there needs to be extremely harsh penalties (I wouldn't mind even seeing body parts removed, but then I'm extremely vindictive); I'm very glad to see some people finally standing up for themselves and I hope they get stronger with support.
Yesterday I read that they had found her,one of the guys from the video was hiding her in his house.
Well, these were youths themselves. Hopefully they can learn their lesson that this is not okay behavior, and some punishment should be issued, but let them rot in jail? This seems harsh to me. Perhaps work release or some for of probation would be more suited for the poor kids that did this. You can't help but feel sorry for these kids, hate to see their lives ruined by one bad choice.
One bad choice? Are you kidding? They need jail time. I can't believe you are defending them and wonder how you would feel if she were your daughter, sister or cousin.
Are you kidding?! The YOUNGEST of them was fourteen, the ages of the others are not given but they could be in their thirties for all we know. How dare you call gang-rapists "the poor kids that did this?" It is NEVER okay to give work release or probation for a gang rape. You hate to see their lives ruined by one bad choice? What about how they all ruined HER life? It was not ONE bad choice, it was a minimum of EIGHT bad choices, and any one of them after the first one could and should have left to go get police. They laughed and video-taped her while they raped her and she screamed. That is a crime that deserves a minimum of twenty years in prison, if not life. It was brutal and unacceptable. Maybe you should stand there in the alley next time people like this decide to gang-rape someone. Just lean up against the wall and watch the whole thing and try not to shoot yourself afterward.
Chirs150 - Are you a troll? Could somebody truly be that tolerant of rape--of a disabled girl no less?? The only reason I'm not calling for their heads is because I don't support the death penalty, but if I did...
If you're for real, you're way out of touch. By out of touch, I mean mentally ill.
Do a Lorena Bobbit -- Whack it off. All of them!
He's a troll
My vote? Troll.
Anyone with your kind of sympathies toward rapists is probably hiding some dark, terrible secret. So I have to ask: Did you commit a sex crime when you were young but got away with it?
Chris150 ~~ Surely you cannot be that ignorant? The actions of this mob rape is a LIFE LONG SENTENCE to the victim. You hope they "learn their lesson"? And what lesson is that? Could it be the lesson of 'do the revolting deed, because you really only get a slap on the wrist, lesson?' is that the lesson you are suggesting they get?
You are pitifully ill informed, and without heart. THERE IS A VICTIM here who's life is forever altered because she was used, brutalized, and abused, and most likely thought of as a person who is 'less than' because she is disabled. These monsters had no compassion whatsoever, and I hope they in turn get EVERYTHING THEY DESERVE, that their law allows for.
The freaks who perpetrated this evil attack absolutely should spend LOTS OF TIME IN JAIL. And then once they are released, they should spend LOTS OF TIME DOING LOTS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE. They can never pay back what they stole from this young girl. Her sentence is a lifelong sentence, while theirs is only temporary.
@ Chris...'one bad choice' ??? Seriously?? These punks dot his crap daily!! They need some cell time with Bubba!!
ONE BAD CHOICE?????? YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING!!!!!!! they should be castrated so it doesnt happen again. that would help to slow them down
Before anyone wastes time commenting, you should read his other posts. He is a troll looking for a reaction.
HAHAHA I love it when sputtering morons fall for troll bait. You idiots are priceless.
deleted
One bad choice my ass. Any animal that can do this should be treated as such, either in a cage for life or out to pasture. I would choose out to pasture and shot. Tell me one bad choice if it were your daughter or little sister, you idiot.
I cant believe you fell for the troll form chris150..lol
Read some of Chirs150's other posts. Complete troll.
Well, not defending that jerk, but many of us are only on here once a week to a month and do not know them by name or moniker...as so myself. I live on a puter at work, but not a cyber regular because of that, & the same for phones after 100 + calls a day at work...just speaking for me, I don't bring it home. Good music works for me.
Sorry, I replied to the wrong person, but still in the thread. BTW I am listening to a good vinyl of Supertramp. Crisis, What, Crisis ? Damn good album !
Even in the Quietest Moments? Best Supertramp album ever!
I cant believe you fell for the troll from chirs150
Chirs150... PLEASE DO NOT PROCREATE!!! You are almost as sick as the rapists! It wasn't just a bad choice, it is morally reprehensible, and if they thought it was fun and games once why wouldn't they do it again? I think someone needs to check you out and make sure you don't go around raping or molesting people. SICK!
It is reported there is a rape in South Africa every 26 seconds.This is apart from the annual average of 25,000 murders in the crime spree there.The UN human rights chief Navi Pillay is a Soutn African.She is however more concerned with Bashar Assad " killing his own people ".
Terrible. It's stories and brutality like this, where even in economic down turn meaning, a smaller house and only one car, still makes USA a blessed place to live.
I hope someday soon, the cultural in countries like this come to a sharp relazation of what acts like this do to a society as a whole, not just its victims. These people are stupid and of useless to the world.
Careful Bigpicture, you sound like you might be a racist because you do not respect their culture.
Yup, thinking that one culture is better than another is definitelynot Politically Correct! YOU must learn to accept others as they are and even if you find what they do to be sick and abhorrent, you shouldn't say anything.
Please...where have you been?
(as you can tell, I am anti PC and like to tell it as it is, but tends to get me a reputation of being narrow minded) Thank you for telling it like it is.
Um, there are plenty of rapes right here in the United States, many committed by privileged white men.
the bigpicture, your comment is completely out of touch.
As stated earlier, there are an estimated 500,000 rapes in South Africa annually, about 4x that of the United States. And the United States is 6x larger in population. So no, I don't think the bigpicture is out of touch. The United States, with all of its problems, is still a better place to live, especially if you strive to make something of yourself, than virtually any other country in the world.
yeah what, you are going to compare rape in the USA to that of Africa. You are the one out of touch my friend
Doesn't this sound familiar? It happened right here in the good old USA, Texas and California early last year. 18 teenagers and older black males gang raped a 11 year old girl in Cleveland, Texas, then shortly after that a group of the same gang raped another 11 year old girl in a bathroom in Moreno Valley, California!!!..Where's the outrage on this???...I guess it's News when it's some place else and not worth mentioning here???.....
Was anyone arrested?
BTW...both of those stories were all over the news. I read about them last year. There were two incidents in California; one of which happened outside a school while people stood around in a circle filming on their phones!! Arrests were made in all three cases. It is safe to say that there are distgustingly sick people everywhere and I think that if someone could do such a thing then they should have their genitals completely removed!
jdarizona
It only counts if it is White on Black crime. So says Eric Holder.
@slodon: are you insane? wait - I reread your post and I have the answer.
Thank GOD South Africans are finally standing their ground against the animals who make life a living hell for the women of that country, black, white or mixed (as well as tourists). They deserve our support.
Yeah, wouldn't it be nice if we'd do the same here in the United States.
The difference between the two countries is an order of magnitude. No concertina wire and armed guards protecting our houses. There is that in big cities in Latin America, so probably we will need that here soon.
But on the other hand, these boys will probably be strung up quick, unlike in our country where the sympathy race card would be played and they'd be out quick, like the gang rape at the high school in Richmond CA.
Looks like inner city thugs gansta style anywhere.
These "boys" should not get away with this dispicable behavior without punishment and reparations. There is no telling how much this poor girl has suffered and will continue to suffer because of these worthless hoodlum scum bags. Their sick, violent nature and complete lack or remorse and family values is much more of a threat to humanity than this girl will ever be. Lock them up equal to their age.
jdarizona: It's not mentioned here because it's old news (and was covered a fair amount at the time it happened).
slodon: Didn't take long to turn a story about a horrible rape in South africa into an attack on the Obama Administration, did it? I'm sure the victim would be happy the attack on her could be fodder for your political ramblings.
Astro: So it's your contention since it's OLD news we should forget that it happens here, in the Greatest Country in the world and it happens far to many times! Covered a fair amount?, it was off MSNBC's site within hours and relegated to second page, then buried. TV News (NBC, CNN) buried it within a week! There were no "Protests", no "Political figures", no "Al or Jesse", it just faded away! A reminder, it happened again this year, Asian gang this time. Go back to sleep, it's what you do best...
I love Africa.
I love fraternity parties.
Marky, you're right, you're just not "politically correct." Africa has been a sh@thole for as long as there's been recorded history, with the exception of Egypt and perhaps the eastern seaboard many moons ago. It's a shame, as the people there have so much potential for greatness, but no means of culturally and, in most places, physically achieving it.
These f()cktards are obviously not included in this, as they are physically able to buy clothes, afford cell phones, etc. They have no excuse, and perhaps they will receive the justice they deserve.
But... I'm not holding my breath.
I love women! When will men realize that they have mucked things up nearly irreparably, and cede political, social, sexual, and economic leadership to the 'fair sex'? They could scarcely do worse than we have done!
Castrate all of them and then jail them forever!
I sometimes wonder if the media does little but scour the world to find the most despicable stories available and then feed them to us on a daily basis. This incident in South Africa is horrific, but does the rest of the world need to hear about it? I assume that South African law enforcement is on the job. If it isn't, I am not going to do anything about it. All I can do is rant ineffectually about how terrible this crime is and what should be done to the perpetrators.
Does media feel compelled to report on every single human atrocity that happens on the globe? I'd really like to understand the motive behind the reporting.
Edukated: It gets eyeballs to their screens. I sympathize with what I take to be your point that a steady stream of these stories can warp people's perceptions about the world. It can definitely make people think it is happening, statistically, more than it is. In many cases, as crime goes down, people think it is going up because of the coverage on the news. i must confess to a certain intellectual interest in these stories and on the nature of evil in general, but I try to balance that interest with more healthy pursuits.
Edukated man, the reason that we should know about the story is so that just maybe when some dipstick is standing in line to be the 10th guy to (stick his in into 9 other guys left overs...My God that is gross), MAYBE he will think (yeah..think) "oh...didn't this happen before and didn't people say this was bad? Maybe I will get in trouble?"
And that thought process should go on for all the scum of the world that thinks that rape is ok. But then again, gang rapists are not normal humans and obviously not capable of normal thought and should just be removed from the gene pool as fast as possible. Too scared to cut their necks? Cut their balls off.
Yup, more and more I like certain parts of Sharia Law.
7 perps...7- 9mm and they won't EVER do that again. Rape should STILL BE a death penalty. Shot twice just for the sake of the disabled girl.
Sorry...totally, absolutely, undeniably SO sorry that animals such as this should not have a right to live.
Methinks thou dost protest too loudly.
When has rape ever been a death penaltly crime? I agree rapists should be put, taken out of this world.
Where's Jesse Jackson? Where's Al Sharpton? How about Calypso Louie?
I thought so.
we're too busy keeping you in your rightful place , '' SIR '' !!!!!!!!
pete,
That didn't make any sense.
But then, you know that.
This is a sad story, but happens often in South Africa. Some men believe and teach it will cure HIV to rape a virgin there. The complicity lies in the fact that a community knew this teenager, a child really, and must have known she had previously disappeared for weeks on end. She had apparently been raped several times, allegedly the first time was when she was 12 yrs. old. But no one seems to have found it necessary to report this to the authorities. For this young girl to be gone for 3 weeks the parents need to be held responsible also.
South Africa supposedly boasts one of the most progressive constitutions in the world, enshrining women's rights. Yet activists estimate that more than one in three South African women will be raped in their lifetime.
Heinous acts of violence are all too unexceptional in South Africa, where nearly 16,000 murders and more than 66,000 sexual offences were recorded by police in 2011, not what is reported at msnbc of 56,000. Their population is 50 plus million people.
IRIN's data says an estimated that 500,000 rapes are committed annually in South Africa, and that for every 25 men accused of rape, only one is convicted of the crime.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/84909/SOUTH-AFRICA-One-in-four-men-rape
In 2001 More than 67,000 cases of rape and sexual assaults against children were reported. Some of the victims were as young as six-months-old, a number of whom died from their injuries, while others contracted HIV. The largest increase in attacks has been against children under seven.
Cati Vawda, the director of the Children's Rights Centre in Durban, said: "There is a belief across South Africa that a virgin will cure a man of HIV or Aids
This is what happens when wild monkey's are loose on the streets.Although this is natural behavior for blacks society must ensure the safety of decent people by shooting these animals.
Aw, Sammy, you gave your stupid, venal comment a thumbs up. Isn't that special.
If found alive , let us hope she has not contracted HIV as this is a very serious problem in that area of the world, so much so that if you attempt to donate blood thay refuse to addmit your donation if you have been to or visited Africa, this I was asked by a intake worker and was required to fill out a questionaire concerning several answers in reguards to the daiting and sexual activities with anyone from the region. And I live in Texas.