This article talks about a teenager who was raped by two classmates at a party. The two classmates were convicted this past week of first degree rape and will spend a year in juvenile detention and could possibly be kept in custody until they are 21 (they are 16 and 17 right now) if authorities decide to do so. Both will also have to undergo treatment and register as sex offenders. But, the consequences could be worse for the victim, a 16 year old girl. Her life was threatened on social networks this week and she has been bullied and attacked on the internet since the conviction. The article stated that the defense attorneys attacked her character during the trial because she had been drinking at the party where the incident happened. It has been a very trying time for the victim. Studies have shown that victims of rape are very likely to develop depression and post traumatic stress disorder. A lot of victims cope with their emotions by turning to drugs and alcohol. This is a serious problem not only in the United States, but also in many other countries. The after effects of rape are sometimes worse than those that happen at the time of the incidents. Victims are more likely to commit suicide and struggle with emotional disorders brought on by the rape. The victim in this case is a perfect example of this claim.
This article is important because there are conflicts like this that happen everyday in our society. Although the victim is supposedly given "justice" but having the offenders punished, the victim is still traumatized and will always remember what happened. There are many programs that help victims cope like therapy and such instead of dependence on alcohol and drugs like what happens in many cases. This situation is important to the health of our nation because it fuels drug and alcohol abuse and strongly increases the risks of mental disease in victims. Prescription drugs cannot ever fully correct these problems. More and more young people are being diagnosed with mental illness and situations like these are only contributing to that statistic. It is important for young people to be aware of their surroundings and pay special attention when put in positions like this whether they are at parties or a bar or club or really anywhere that is new and unfamiliar. I think that there can never be too many programs that help make young people more aware of these risks and the seriousness of these situations. I think our judicial system does a good job of punishing those who commit these crimes, although it is still at the expense of the victims. Trials are always hard on the victims as they have to relive the experience and a lot of times the defense questions the victims' credibility. This has been said to be a main reason why a lot of victims don't stand trial and drop the charges. I think that if anything needs to be improved it should be something in this aspect as no victim should be criticized They are after all, the victim. Hopefully young people can learn earlier on ways to prevent a situation like this and if they are ever unfortunately put in a situation, they will be able to know that they have support and can always work to get better through the help of others.
Jessilyn Bulla
March 23, 2013
4:50 pm
http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/19/health/rape-survivors-future/index.html?hpt=he_c2
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