Sad story. http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20090724/NEWS01/90724004/1002/rss

PHOENIX — Officers responding to a report of hysterical screams found an 8-year-old girl partially clothed and four boys, barely in their teens, running from an empty shed.

The boys, ages 9 to 14, face charges ranging from sexual assault to kidnapping, police said Thursday. Authorities in Phoenix say it's one of the most horrific cases they've ever seen.


Investigators said the boys lured the girl to an empty shed on July 16 under the pretense of offering her gum. The boys then held the girl down while they took turns raping her, police said.


"She was brutally sexually assaulted for a period of about 10 to 15 minutes," police Sgt. Andy Hill said.


The 14-year-old boy was charged Wednesday as an adult with two counts of sexual assault and kidnapping, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office said. He appeared in court Thursday and was being held without bond. He does not yet have a defense lawyer.


The other boys — ages 9, 10, and 13 — were charged as juveniles with sexual assault. The 10- and 13-year-old boys also were charged with kidnapping, the office said Thursday.


"This is a deeply disturbing case that has gripped our community," Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas said. "Our office will seek justice for the young victim in this heartrending situation."


The outrage over the allegations has intensified when police said the girl's parents criticized her after the attack and blamed her for bringing shame on the family.
"The father told the case worker and an officer in her presence that he didn't want her back. He said 'Take her, I don't want her,'" Hill said.


Hill cited the family's background as the reason the family shunned the girl. All five children are refugees from the West African nation of Liberia.


In some parts of Africa, women often are blamed for being raped for enticing men or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Girls who are raped often are shunned by their families.


"It's a shame-based culture, so the crime is not as important as protecting the family name and the name of the community," said Tony Weedor, a Liberian refugee in Littleton, Colo., and co-founder of the CenterPoint International Foundation, which helps Liberians resettle in the United States.

"I just feel so sorry for this little girl," he said. "Some of these people will not care about the trauma she's going through — they're more concerned about the shame she brought on the family."


In recent years, Liberia has made efforts to combat rape under the leadership of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who has sought to dispel the stigma associated with sexual assault by publicly acknowledging that she was herself the victim of attempted rape during the country's civil war.


The girl's healing process will be particularly difficult, said Paul Penzone of Childhelp, which aids young victims of crime. Authorities said the victim was in the care of Child Protective Services.


"These four boys used what was a ploy to entice her to a place where they could take advantage of her almost like a pack of wolves," he said.


"And what's so disturbing beyond the initial crime is the fact that a child needs to have somewhere to feel safe, and you would think that would be in a home with her own family," not in state custody, Penzone said.

Liberian people sef. I would have expected better.

That is a wicked father, how could u turn ur back at your daughter when she needed you most?

9 to 14 yr old boys thinking of rape this is so scray and crazy

ifyalways:

9 to 14 yr old boys thinking of rape this is so scray and crazy

I think they need to look into the family of those kids and that will answer so many questions

i really wonder when rape victims will stop taking the blame of this hideous act

instead of the family to be sympathizing with their little girl, they're been more worried about "saving face" and worrying about some people will think of them.

and did i just read that it's was till 2006 that liberia made rape a criminal offense?

gosh i pity women there

~Sissy~:

i really wonder when rape victims will stop taking the blame of this hideous act

instead of the family to be sympathizing with their little girl, they're been more worried about "saving face" and worrying about some people will think of them.

and did i just read that it's was till 2006 that liberia made rape a criminal offense?

gosh i pity women there

real sad, and i wonder what is in a name when they cant even make their daughter happy

Don't have to look that far for stories like this. Child rape in Nigeria is at epidemic proportions

We are living in scary times

Thor:

Don't have to look that far for stories like this. Child rape in Nigeria is at epidemic proportions

We are living in scary times

raped and disown is what made this worse.

i really hope those idiots/animals called boys gets serious time in prison including that 9yrs one

~Sissy~:

i really hope those idiots/animals called boys gets serious time in prison including that 9yrs one

hope so too

I really do not think the 9 year old child needs prison time. He needs some very intense therapy though. I feel her parents should be deported not to Liberia but to somewhere where they can get raped on a daily basis. Ignorant people

We Africans are sometimes fools for applying stupid culture instead of common sense, which by the way trumps "culture" most of the time!

No culture will make me put my daughter through that kind of trauma! The girl's parents are Class A Idiots! They should be charged with negligence! After all they should have been aware of the girl's whereabouts. Goat-head parents!

Disgusting!!! 9-14 yr olds?


Gum? Didnt her parents ever teach her not to take food from people?


Parent are -like Richy said- class A idiots. I just hope the young girl does give up on life b/c of psycological issues caused by the rape.

i saw this on cnn and the 14 yr old mom had the guts to demand for them to release her child, i felt like slapping sense into her head. as for the parents of the 8 yr old that are blaming the poor girl, they should be thrown into prison, nonsense!

This is a massive problem in Nigeria

[url]http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=76087
[/url]
http://www.humsurfer.com/nigeria-increasing-trend-of-childrapehorrible-stories

http://www.tigweb.org/express/panorama/article.html?ContentID=7758

http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/index.php/content/view/12645/55

http://udonna.instablogs.com/entry/a-police-sergeant-was-sentenced-to-two-years-imprisonment-for-child-rape/

http://news-frist..com/2008/09/nigeria-increasing-trend-of-child_19.html

http://www.news.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=476:may-27-nigerias-exploited-silent-children&catid=53:star-feature&Itemid=131

http://www.africamasterweb.com/AdSense/NigerianMalawiAccusedRapingDaughter.html

na2day?:

i saw this on cnn and the 14 yr old mom had the guts to demand for them to release her child, i felt like slapping sense into her head. as for the parents of the 8 yr old that are blaming the poor girl, they should be thrown into prison, nonsense!

so sad.
The lil' girl needs them now than ever.
I hope they will change their mind and come to comfort the kid.

Fhemmmy:

so sad.
The lil' girl needs them now than ever.
I hope they will change their mind and come to comfort the kid.

the liberian president, she has intervened in the situation but those parents need some serious flogging

I just hope they do not send that girl back to those people. From the father to the mother even the older sister. They are all imbeciles. I hope there is a Liberian family that can adopt her and show her that there is love. I feel that the parents should be deported for child abuse and the sister should be banned from working at any child care facility. She is an adult and the child she was supposed to be caring for somehow gets raped and she is running her mouth on camera. I don't know why she was not arrested

Outstrip:

I just hope they do not send that girl back to those people. From the father to the mother even the older sister. They are all imbeciles. I hope there is a Liberian family that can adopt her and show her that there is love. I feel that the parents should be deported for child abuse and the sister should be banned from working at any child care facility. She is an adult and the child she was supposed to be caring for somehow gets raped and she is running her mouth on camera. I don't know why she was not arrested

for the 1st time in my adult life, i totally support u.

God save us

Busy_body:

God save us

i know

na2day?:

the liberian president, she has intervened in the situation but those parents need some serious flogging

Flogging?
I think they need to be caged in a zoo and pple pays money to go and watch the face of fools in a cage.

Fhemmmy:

Flogging?
I think they need to be caged in a zoo and pple pays money to go and watch the face of fools in a cage.

i concur

For real jare.

Bunch of wicked family members

Fhemmmy:

Flogging?
I think they need to be caged in a zoo and pple pays money to go and watch the face of fools in a cage.

na2day?:

i concur

I CONCUR X 2 Mankind can be soooooo horrible and heartless atimes

Busy_body:



I CONCUR X 2 Mankind can be soooooo horrible and heartless atimes

this is not mankind oo, this is stupid-kind

na2day?:

this is not mankind oo, this is stupid-kind

Looking at the bigger picture, despite us having brains which are supposedly highly evolved, human beings never fails to amaze me, shame

hey b_B, i sent u a YIM, reply backpls

platinumnk:

hey b_B, i sent u a YIM, reply backpls

hey! have u added more weight? ur nose looks heavier

na2day?:

hey! have u added more weight? ur nose looks heavier

hahahahahahaha