A toddler was raped, but as horrific as the thought is, those who raped her shouldn't be punished. You see, her attackers were just boys -- 7- and 9-year-old boys who shouldn't even know what rape is. Someone is to blame, but it's not them.
It happened in Memphis this past summer. The 2-year-old victim's brother, 5, saw it occurring and told his mom. Thank goodness he did. While the boys first blamed each other, they later admitted to the crime.
The boys are due in court today where prosecutors are recommending they be removed from their families' homes and placed in state custody for treatment, not punishment. They want to determine what these boys have been exposed to that would make them do this to another child. James Sanders, the attorney defending the 9-year-old boy, told the Memphis Commercial Appeal:
What happened to this victim is horrible, nobody is minimizing that. But my client has a lot of problems and needs some immediate help. Somebody's got to rescue this kid.
Someone has to rescue them all.
This is one of those stories that I recount through tears, because it's so awful and so unimaginable that such vile, evil things can happen to innocent children. And really, at this point, all three should still be innocent. Something has to be very, very wrong in one's life for a mind that young to be infected like this.
But as much as I don't want to blame these boys because of their age, where do we draw a line? Is there really an age at which one suddenly should be able to account for his tragic background, overcome what he's been exposed to, and now be able to stand up and do the right thing? Yes, we have to expect that, but we also have to expect that some won't be able to. It doesn't in any way make what the victim suffered any less horrifying or their actions justifiable in the least, it just make the whole situation more tragic.
Do you think these boys should be punished?
Image via davedehetre/Flickr
This Hot Dad Wants to Do Your Ironing
KStew Refuses to Shower
This Hot Dad Wants to Cook You Dinner
This Hot Dad Cooks AND Does the Dishes
Comments 1040
They have been exposed but i agree they need to be punished and educated. I knew someone dear to me who a similar thing happened. She was i believe 5 or 6 when it started until about 7 and he was about 7. When she told him she didn't like it and her parents were moving he told her he hated her and she couldn't be his girlfriend anymore (as if). All the while she begged him to stop and told him he was hurting her, he didn't care. When he was caught sodomizing he as well, his mother told her that it was her fault. She is like 30 now and still has issues from that. I hope they help her as well this young girl.
sodomizing her*
I think the boys should be punished AND treated.
I think they knew what they did was wrong, but they need therapy to uncover WHY they did it and prevent it from happening again.
These boys should be punished and treated. Their punishment should be community service in an animal shelter cleaning out the pens or picking up trash in public places under supervision and not for just a few months either. They should have deeply serious mandated lessons on "self control" and respect for others. It also should be mandated that they attend Sunday School and Church every single Sunday for at least two years or more. The parents should also be investigated... Help should be given to the little innocent baby who suffered this horrible attack as well as her brother and parents. I also think the parents of the boys should be given a hefty fine and the proceeds go to the victim. Somewhere along the way they missed or caused something to go awry..
Supervison. Activities for the children. School. Church. Chores. Responsibilites. parenting models roles.
do the children have both parents? does the family live on low-income? how is the neighbor? are there many friends for the children to interact with? is there alot of tv? etc etc etc Punishment is not truly the answer, it just makes it worse if all what I have stated above is not working for them. What they need is to be educated, work with them, let them know what is out there to keep their minds going in the right way, and also educate the parents.