Rape is and always has been a serious issue throughout history, but recently and even more problematic is that teens have been convicted of this heinous crime. For instance, not long ago a fraternity at Georgia Tech was found having sent emails encouraging the intoxication of women and when they were drunk having sex with them; “luring your rapebait” as the email called it. And now, teens in New Zealand have been found hosting a club where they lure girls in and rape them. This group of teenagers, all boys about 17 or 18, call themselves the Roast Busters.
The group finds girls and brings them back to a secluded area, where they are given alcohol until they are too drunk to protect themselves. The boys then proceed to have group sex with them. Their victims have been girls as young as 13. After they rape them, the teenage boys then share videos and brag about their deeds on social media sites, such as Facebook and YouTube. For at least two years, this same group has committed these crimes, and only now is action being taken. What’s troubling is that for about two years, this group has been raping girls and the police have claimed they could not investigate due to a supposed lack of evidence. The police asserted that because no claims had been put forth and they found no conclusive evidence, the police could not interfere, which has allowed the group to get away with this for years.
But even more disheartening, news has emerged that one of the victims of the rape club had in fact made a complaint about her rape back in 2011. This girl, aged 13 at the time, has stated that she went to the police after getting away. However, the police said that because she didn’t have the evidence to support her claims, the police didn’t investigate any further. In fact, it has been reported that the police cited her clothing as justification for her rape, stating that she was essentially asking for it. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key expressed disgust and disappointment in his police department, and issued a formal government order to the police to investigate the club and bring the Roast Busters to justice.Authorities have since then followed through, obtaining a warrant and searching the possible address of one of the members of the club. There they found evidence to help further the search. Still, as of now, the rapists are at large.
What is so frightening about this situation is the continued practice of rape and the apparent lack of action on the part of others. Increasingly, perpetrators of rape have been found at younger ages, so the problem isn’t being stifled; it’s growing. While cases such as the Roast Busters are extreme, they are only a part of the spectrum of the entire rape issue. And even more frequently, social media has been used to further exacerbate the suffering of the victims, as their rapes are published online and shared with others. There need to be serious changes and crackdowns in order to solve this problem. Sources: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/worl… http://www.nydailynews.com/new… http://blog.sfgate.com/sfmoms/…