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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Raping Asian girls worse than raping white girls because it 'harms their marriage prospects' :o

187 replies

OTheHugeManatee · 18/09/2015 09:42

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A judge has just ruled that a man who raped Asian under-13s should receive a longer sentence, because the victims' families were now worried about their marriage prospects. In other words, damaging these girls' property value in the marriage 'market' actually counted in terms of assessing the damage done by raping them.

I think this is horrific. Not just because virginity should have no bearing on the value of a girl or woman, but also because implicitly it seems to support the notion that underlay the belief of the Rotherham rapists that white girls were 'trash' who could be abused freely because they were already devalued. Like it's OK to rape white girls because they have no trading value.

I get that feminism coexists quite uneasily with cultural diversity, and this is a very difficult area to navigate, but really feel like this needs a feminist response.

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AbeSaidYes · 18/09/2015 10:16

Fucking awful and yet another demonstration that so many people still believe there is some kind of sliding scale when it comes to rape and that some rape is better than others.

YonicScrewdriver · 18/09/2015 10:13

I disagree with this.

On the thinking - I guess if you disabled a person in an assault and damaged their ability to work/economic prospects, your sentence would reflect that., and I assume this is the same thing in the judge's mind, a prejudicial impact on the future of the victim.

But the judge's thinking should go further and acknowledge that "devaluing" a girl because of this is NOT part of law or anything law should be implicitly condoning in this way.

Scobberlotcher · 18/09/2015 10:10

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Message withdrawn at poster's request.

DriverSurpriseMe · 18/09/2015 10:07

Horrific. Let's support FGM while we're at it, because that will improve the marriage prospects for some girls too.

It also supports the notion that white girls who are groomed and abused by gangs were more likely to have consented To the abuse by being from chaotic backgrounds, accepting alcohol and drugs, etc.

OTheHugeManatee · 18/09/2015 10:03

Exactly scobber. It's like the judge just said 'oh, go ahead, it's OK to rape white 13-year-olds because they're not so fussed about flogging their virginity to men on the marriage market. Just leave the Asian girls alone because their dads get upset about them being damaged goods'.

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Dollius01 · 18/09/2015 10:01

I agree, the thinking behind this judgment is so wrong, it's almost incomprehensible. The man has been given a longer jail sentence because his actions have damaged the material value of the girls he raped (to their male owners??) more than if they were a different colour.

This sort of thinking is completely absurd.

cailindana · 18/09/2015 09:59

It was a female judge who made the original ruling Scobberlotcher.

Scobberlotcher · 18/09/2015 09:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

cailindana · 18/09/2015 09:57

Jesus fucking Christ.

OTheHugeManatee · 18/09/2015 09:51

It's rare that I read a news story that has me really hopping mad but this one's left me wanting to take to the streets. How can a judge imply that one rape is 'worse' or more harmful than another? And because of assumptions about the girl's relative property value in terms of her cultural background?

Angry
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IsabelleEberhardt · 18/09/2015 09:50

I can sort of see what the judge was tryint to do here but ultimately they are valuing both sets of girls on their worth to men.
The white girls have a low worth, the Asian girls did have worth which has been diminished.

Reminds me of rape being viewed as a crime against the girls' father/husband. The girl is property.

In a way I can't see who is being lowered more here. The white girls who are assessed to have limited value but who are at least treated as if they have some agency, or the Asian girls who have value but no agency (in the eye's of the judge).

Dollius01 · 18/09/2015 09:46

Yes, the judge does rather appear to be colluding with the underlying presumption which leads to rape in the first place - that women are fundamentally the property of men and, therefore, men can just take what they want.

Very strange verdict IMO.