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A 16 Year Old Girl Was Gang Raped…And People Still Blamed Her
I witnessed so much anger, frustration, and confusion yesterday when the news broke that a 16-year old girl had been repeatedly threatened and gang-raped by three individuals in North Lebanon. The assailants are currently in police custody.
Photo via dailystar.com.lb
First, I have to comment on the fact that this young victim, an underage girl, was named by some television stations. They repeated her name over and over again, stripping her of any privacy she was entitled to.
But the more horrifying crime was what I witnessed on Twitter; people questioning whether she was “innocent” or not. Apparently, the medical examiner had stated that she was not a virgin prior to her rape. It is amazing to me that in this day and age, people still use this type of shameful argument in order to justify something as horrifying and grotesque as rape. We have a long way to go as a society, and we all need to put in the work.
This so-called medical examiner should be stripped of his right to practice. Where in your hippocratic oath does it it state that it is okay for you to share confidential information about a patient let alone a victim? Where, in your oath not to harm, does it state that it is okay to put this information out there, knowing well that it would cause a kind of defense for the three monsters?
You were called upon to confirm 1 – that she was drugged, and 2 – that she was raped. You confirmed both those facts then continued to blab about her personal information that has no relevance to the matter. You chose to assault her once again.
Let’s be clear on the fact that raping a sexually active person is still rape.
I have to say I was pleased to see the sheer outrage, especially from many young men on Twitter. They were horrified, disgusted – these are the men who are going to help build a newer, better Lebanon.
As for the monsters who did this, I’m so glad your photos are plastered all over the media. I’m glad that everyone will memorize your pathetic faces, and I hope you face discrimination every single day of your lives after whatever reduced sentence you’re going to get.
Lebanon is a small country, and it feels like an even smaller community. When something like this happens, we all feel attacked, and we all feel assaulted. And we all should.