Parents of rape victim arrested for abuse
Rape victim’s parents charged with abuse:
Back in July I posted about the 8-year-old girl from Liberia, living in Phoenix, who was raped by a group of boys and shunned by her parents. Now her parents have been arrested on abuse charges.
The child abuse investigation was based on documented incidents from the Phoenix Police Department and numerous referrals to Arizona Child Protective Services dating to 2005.
Police said the parents, refugees from the West African nation, used sticks, wires and their fists to hit their young daughter.
Witnesses told CNN affiliate KTVK that the parents left their daughter wandering their apartment complex alone at night, begging for food.
Their arrests ciuldn’t have come soon enough.
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November 23rd, 2009 at 1:18 am
Excellent news, but it took them long enough, didn’t it?
November 23rd, 2009 at 8:59 am
My husband is an immigrant, and the first time over there I watched a 4 year old chug (not sip) his mom’s beer (most eateries do not serve soda, but you cannot get water w/o bubbles)in public. My husband said “See our kids should get to sip beer, it’s there heritage.” My kids still are not allowed a sip, but how would we know local customs if we were both from his country? I would think it was ok to give my preschooler a sip. Coincidentaly, I did not meet any alcoholics while there, just social drinkers.
November 23rd, 2009 at 10:16 am
I’m sorry, but hitting a child with sticks, wire, and their fists is wrong, no matter where the parents are from or are living. Leaving your child to wander the apartment complex at night to beg for food is wrong, no matter what. And absolutely unforgivable to blame an 8 year old child for being raped, no matter where you’re from. It is not a child’s responsibility to protect themselves. It’s their parents’ repsonsibility to protect the child.
I’m sure this little girl’s father wouldn’t set his wallet down in that apartment complex and walk away, because a wallet can’t defend itself from being stolen. Common sense would tell a person that an 8 year old child can’t defend themselves from a 150 pound adult, let alone a group of children who are much larger than the 8 year old.
“Cultural traditions” or “heritage” are no excuses for treating a child this way.
It’s such a sad world when people feel the need to defend their money more than they feel the need to defend their own children.
November 24th, 2009 at 11:08 am
I’m not saying this family is right, but my husband took the test to be naturalized last year. In all of his study material there was not one word about child abuse/neglect. My problem is with the immigration process that offers no education on parenting in this country.
November 24th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
That is a problem… maybe we should start a campaign to remedy that. I’d be more than happy to link it on my site (or post the campaign on my site) to bring more attention to it and get others involved in helping to fix the problem by writing to legislators.
January 13th, 2010 at 11:52 pm
Um, Lady?! Are you freaking kidding me? I mean, Come On! Is it O.K. in ‘your country’ to beat the hell out of a man and then have the cops kill him for having blood on himself in public? You don’t hit people. This is called assault. I am Darn Sure That is in there when teaching people how to live in the U.S.A. and GUESS WHAT>? CHILDREN ARE PEOPLE TOO! #$)*@#$%)*#&$^!#)*$^@#*)$^@)#*$ < That was me swearing at some peoples idiocy.
November 23rd, 2009 at 11:34 am
Dodia- you’re right, it IS wrong to treat a child that way. But if you are raised in a culture where it is common…add stress..whatever (food, money, job)….many parents start LACKING as parents in situations such as that & reverting to what they know (abuse). Not ok, it just is what it is.
I read an article a few minutes ago (azcentral.com, I live in the Phoenix area)and what they wrote up about the 9 yr old in the case is so disturbing. I honestly don’t think this boy understood what he was doing. And the oldest (now 15) may have understood but he was raised with this mentality. When broken….rape. ::SIGH::
The parents were in the wrong, the 15 yr old was in the wrong. What are we going to do to help acclimate immigrants to put a stop to crimes such as these? Culturally we need to be tolerant, but this MUST stop.
November 24th, 2009 at 10:52 am
About 15 years ago, I worked with a wonderful woman from Morocco. She was in the process of becoming a US citizen, and the processes they had to go through then were just amazing. She knew more about US laws, the constitution, etc. than any of the folks she worked with, who were all born and raised in the US, because they had to take classes.
It seems that is not the case these days, especially for those here as “refugees”, and certainly not for those here illegally. So they import their “old ways” without giving a second thought to whether or not those ways are legal here. And too many US citizens are far too permissive of this, fearing that we’ll look too “intolerant” if we appear to be changing their “culture” too much.
I’m all for keeping in touch with one’s heritage… hell, my spiritual path is based on that. However, I do expect that those parts of any culture that are harmful or dangerous or illegal here be left “in the old country”.
Look, we’ve got enough stupid, fucked up people born here. Is it too much to ask that those wanting to live here weed out their stupid, fucked up customs before moving in? I don’t think so.
November 23rd, 2009 at 3:22 pm
I will never understand cultures that blame the victim, especially a child, for bringing shame into the family. I just don’t get it.
November 23rd, 2009 at 3:46 pm
I’m awfully glad it wasn’t that way when I grew up in Alabama. I was not exactly a good child. Would have shamed my parents horribly!!
I can’t even imagine how they would feel now, since I’ve married an African communist. That would probably be the end of me.
November 24th, 2009 at 9:45 am
this disturbs me on so many levels, I understand custopms of other countries, but where is the love for their child here. This poor little girl was raped and then punished for it. I can not imagine the damage that has been done to her. she will changed forever. just sickening
November 24th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
following their line of thinking….had it been their “son” who was “jumped” and beaten up by a group of guys older and bigger than him….would it have brought shame to the family? shame that an 8 year old boy could not fight off a group of boys physically stronger than him? of course not. there would have been a vigilante group out there hunting down the ruffians that abused their son…and “justice” would have been served….and a lesson taught to those who beat their son. unfortunately, this child was a girl. i guess there’s not much value in that.
November 25th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When immigrants move her, they should leave those abusive “ways” behind them.
CRUELTY IS CRUELTY, no matter what the place or persons.
Glad they got arrested…….