‘A little bit of mischief’

The recent court judgement which called the gang rape of a 14-year-old girl in Mosta an "act of foolishness and bravado" (att ta' bluha ta' tlett guvintur minorenni li hasbu le qed jaghmlu xi bravata) was a slap in the face to all civil society.

I shudder to think what must have gone through the mind of that young girl and her family when they heard her ordeal dismissed simply as a "silly act" by a group of 17-year-old men, who might have been minors at the time but who were definitely old enough to know that what they were doing was wrong.

The three men were let off the hook with a slap on the wrist - a clear message, if ever there was one, to other young men that they might just as well go ahead and commit any sexual attack that catches their fancy (you know, for a lark) as long as they commit the crime before their 18th birthday.

There is something seriously twisted about a society that justifies the rape of a young girl, whatever the circumstances. The thought of being held against your will and forced into sex by three men would terrify any woman, so I can only imagine how horrifying the experience must have been for such a young girl, who is still on the cusp of womanhood. Those men could very well have destroyed her life, and yet they have walked away with a gentle admonishment from our judiciary.

To say that I am disgusted is the understatement of the century. I have two daughters who are just a few years younger than the victim was at the time of the attack, and I cannot help but feel that Malta is a more dangerous place for them to grow up in, simply because of the misguided, misogynistic ruling that has just come out of our courts.

Let me be totally clear. A 17-year-old is not a child. A man at 17 is very much aware of the difference between consensual sex and rape, and there is no doubt in my mind that those young men knew that what they were doing was not only a serious crime but an outrage which would shatter that young girl's life.

Shame on the magistrate who allowed those men to walk away free. Shame on her for endangering our sons and daughters, who are now at risk from any other youngster who suddenly decides to perpetrate an att ta'bluha. Shame on her for allowing three psychopaths to walk free, reinforcing their belief that their crime was in fact not something serious, but a bit of fun.

We live in a society where many believe that rape is an act of lust that simply cannot be controlled. Look at the comments under many articles relating to rape, and the same theme recurs again and again: women are raped because they dress provocatively, and men who see them cannot control their urges.

Whenever I hear this argument I am unsure whether I should laugh or cry. I always try to explain to the person who thinks that women bring rape on themselves because they wear short skirts that if that were the case no woman would be safe on the beach, because men would not be able to control themselves upon seeing a woman in a bikini. I also try to explain that such an attitude is grossly insulting to men, implying as it does that a man is simply led by his penis and has no control over himself.

The fact, however, is that rape is not an act of lust, it is simply an act of control and the ultimate violence. Trying to insinuate that victims, whether male or female, brought the violence upon themselves is simply an act of further victimisation.

I agree totally with Victim Support Malta director Roberta Lepre who said that "It is bad enough when Joe Blogs spouts such misogyny, but when we hear it from the learned judiciary, the prosecuting police officer and the defence attorney, then the damage is much greater."

My hope here is that something will be done to rectify this great wrong that has been committed, not only to this girl but to society in general. I hope that the sentence will be appealed and that those men will finally face the consequences of their actions.

Let justice be done.