While I was watching ABC’s 20/20 broadcast the story of a 16-year-old girl who was servery intoxicated, humiliated and sexually abused by a group of teenage boys, some of which were she called “friends” many questions rang in my heard one in which was why didn’t anyone come to her rescue? In the report graphic photos of the girl were posted on social media networks including a very disturbing YouTube video; in the video a guy is degrading her and saying over and over “she is so getting raped.” The comments people posted were even more disturbing and inhumane. On twitter and YouTube the girl was called discriminating words i.e. whore. She was then raped by two teenagers named Ma’Lik Richard and Trent May. This all could have been stopped if someone her age or older (like a friend or parent) were to confront the boys from causing any farther harm. if I was in the 16-year-old girl’s position that is what I would have wanted people to do.
Even broadcast news stations such as CNN, Fox News and ABC’s 20/20 defended Ma’Lik and Trent reporting on how their dreams of becoming a football player are over. The boys did get convicted for rape and they will be serving a minimum of 1 two 2 years in Juvenal detention. They also have to register themselves as sex offenders. What CNN, Fox News and the other news stations did not report in these teens an immoral act; they knew what her situation was, they knew she was mentally and physically impaired to consent, and they took advantage of her. So I don’t know why the news is talking the boys side?
Truthfully, why hasn’t anyone come to the girl’s defense? Even though she told her friends to go on without her and told them she was “fine” she was also intoxicated and incoherent. When someone is in this state of mind they cannot think, walk, or act in a normal way. From what I heard in the 20/20 report is that people have a hard time understanding what it means to be raped. The victim in this case could not have consented to sex, because she didn’t know what was going on. Rape doesn’t happen when the victim says no, it happens when they victim is not aware of their surroundings.
Do we as a society even care as to what happens to the victim? I am in no way a feminist, but when I saw and heard what these teenage boys were doing to her it just broke my heart. I thought to my self even in the year 2013 were women have the same rights as men, have the right to vote, and the decision to bare a child or not; we (women) are still treated as objects. For starters, the girls that told her to stay with them and not go with the guys should have done more. I am saying they didn’t try to help, but they should have notice that she was impaired, and they should have forced her to go home with them instead. Another issue that happened that could have been prevented was parental control. Not one parent came to the girl’s defense; where were they? Parents who are raising teenagers should be more caution to what they are posting, who they are getting involved with etc. It’s not only the teens’ fault it’s the parents’ fault too.
I think the biggest issue of when a young woman gets raped is their appearance. Usually when a woman gets raped we as a society thinks, “Oh she was dressed in a provocative outfit and had on way too much make-up on, so in a way she should have known it was going to happen.” That is so wrong on so many levels. Maybe she was going out to meet friends, maybe she was meeting her boyfriend or husband, maybe she was going to work/ coming home from work. Women have the right to wear whatever they want. Why? Because women are human beings. I like to wear dresses that show off my legs and high heels, does that make me a victim of rape? It should not. I like to put on make-up, does that make me a victim of rape, it should not. But once you blame the victim that person will think they are the reason they got raped.
