Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Encourages Counseling For Parents of 8 Year old Rape Victim

Back in July, Legal Pub carried a tragic story which illustrated a clash between culture and the law as it pertained to the victim's parent's reaction to the crime. As you may recall, an 8-year-old Liberian girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by four boys when she was lured into a storage shed and forceably raped. (The oldest boy was 14 years old.) At that time of the crime, the parents had felt shamed by their daughter and blamed her for being victimized. The parents did not want the matter prosecuted. Now, in a not unexpected turn of events, the girls parents are now themselves arrested for alleged child abuse. The father, 59, and mother, 47, were arrested in Phoenix and charged with seven counts of child abuse.

This article is not to infer that the parents reaction to the crime was the sole reason for the charges. Afterall, incidents forming the basis of the charges include numerous referrals to Arizona Child Protective Services dating back to 2005. But one can not ignore the possibility that their public comments after the rape served as a catalyst for the charges. But what role does culture play in determining the fairness of these charges? The defendant parents are refugees from the West African nation of Liberia. It is alleged that they used sticks, wires and their fists to disipline their daughter. (Legal Pub has been told that this is not uncommon in the homeland of Liberia. ) Allegedly, the suspect parents also allowed their daughter to wander their apartment complex alone at night, begging for food. KTVK's coverage But on inquiry, one suspects it was within the norm of their homeland to allow children of such age to wander in their villiages in search of handouts of food and clothing.

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf commented that the parents' reaction after the rape was wrong and that they needed counseling. (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. In recent years, Liberia has made efforts to combat rape under Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s leadership.) Given the cultural differences one must wonder if education of the parents concerning our cultural norms is preferable to punishment. Indeed, the filing of formal criminal charges against the parents makes one wonder what cultural counseling these parents will get behind bars if they are convicted?

In the mean time, Child Protective Services have custody of the girl. Prosecutors charged Steven Tuopeh,the 14-year-old Liberian refugee, as an adult. Three other boys — ages 9, 10 and 13 — were charged in juvenile court. Could the victim's parents who are facing charges of child abuse end up joining the alleged perpetrator in jail?

Update 2-5-10: For any further comments on the subject, send your post to legalpub@legalpub.net.