Damage

Recently, a 12 year old was strangled to death after being gang raped by 3 men in their early twenties in her home. I read about stuff like this all the time - what really got me was the following quote from the Thulamela Mirror, reported on 9 March 07: “The suspects [during their court appearance] looked relaxed but they seemed to be confused when they realized that the court was full of angry and concerned community members.” There was a picture of the perpetrators that accompanied the article so I can confirm the reporter's account of their temperament - I would add bemused. This demonstrates what I find most chilling about so many of these cases: perpetrators often don't appreciate that they've done anything wrong.

The deliciously ironic part is why this made it on the front page. The community members protesting at the bail hearings were local woman, dancing in their underwear in front of the court house. The article didn't provide an explanation of why their protest took this form. It has the feel of those posters in college that went "Sex! [in huge font] Now that I have your attention: come attend the debate team meeting [in tiny font]." How ironic that the only way gender-based violence makes it on the front page is if it's accompanied with shots of scantily dressed women.

p.s. and on a less grim note, I got into grad school.