What is happening to this Amish girl after she was raped by her brothers?

[EarthSight]

They've been given a 10 year suspended sentence, 100 hours of community service, and a $250. Disgusting.

Where is the girl now (who is pregnant with one of their children)? How does she feel that her brothers have been let go and not even jailed for what they did to her? Is she still living in the Amish community? My heart goes out to her.

metro.co.uk/2020/09/21/incest-amish-brothers-who-gang-raped-sister-12-spared-jail-over-fears-inmates-would-hurt-them-13305125/?ito=amp-trending-3

That poor, poor girl. What a revolting, woman oppressing group of people these Amish are.

I’m surprised this even got out to the wider community, very often they do not involve ‘the English’ in their affairs. From the article it was a doctor that reported it, so the family was probably against cooperating with the authorities.

Domestic violence is widespread in the Amish community and it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that sexual abuse is too.

Prosecutor was wrong to let the community handle this. This is why violence against women is so common in closed communities like the Amish.

Native American communities have similar problems because of tribal autonomy.

Always feel sorry for the women and girls trapped in this system.

The child has given birth to her baby now. Not only was she raped by the two brothers charged with this offence there were two other brothers who were not charged due to their age.

Given how this community deals with transgressors by shunning, I don’t think for a minute their lives are going to be a bed of roses. At least, I sincerely hope not

Given how this community deals with transgressors by shunning, I don’t think for a minute their lives are going to be a bed of roses. At least, I sincerely hope not

From what I've seen of patriarchal religions in action, I fear the only one who will be shunned is the 13 year old victim.

Also, what the fuck was that judge smoking? A non-custodial sentence because the poor little defenceless darlings might have a rough time in prison? They raped their sister, who was only a child, for fuck's sake.

I fear that it is the girl and her child who will be shunned..... Poor thing.

Surely to god she'd be taken into care? She can't still be there, with the family, can she? Poor, poor child.

Horrifying all the shame is pushed onto the woman and the men are protected
Just horrifying the Amish community cover it all up to try and protect their reputation
it is the Amish community who deserves shame and vilification

This is horrific. I'm also surprised it actually became public knowledge, I imagine there are many similar situations that haven't.

Shocking that they were spared jail. As always I expect the young girl and her child will suffer most within the community for this.

Is IICSA, the child abuse inquiry, looking into the Amish organisation too? They collected a lot of good work on sexual abuse and rape within the Catholic church and Jehovah's Witnesses and various religious orgs.

@ArabellaScott

Surely to god she'd be taken into care? She can't still be there, with the family, can she? Poor, poor child.

I very much hope so - but then again, from what I gather (American posters please correct me if I'm wrong), the American care system is a mess, with being a foster carer often seen as an easy way to make an income if you have no other options, and very little background checks on would-be foster carers, which means that being taken into care is often a case of "Out of the frying pan, into the fire."

Though in this case, it would be very hard to envisage a situation which could be worse for this girl than being left with her birth family.

Her parents should be charged as well.

Surely to god she'd be taken into care? She can't still be there, with the family, can she? Poor, poor child

I don’t know anything about the US foster system or when the state takes the child away.

But taking an Amish child into care would probably present difficulties due to cultural differences. They would not be cooperating with authorities and instead continue to make empty promises to handle the matter through their local leadership.

She may not speak English well, and may not be familiar with ‘English’ customs and lifestyles. By now, she would be out of school as they usually leave around 13.

Honestly I’d fear for her living as an unwed mother in that community. But the reality is she’d also have great difficulty living outside her community as well. Hopefully she could have a real choice about her own future.

Also adding that the Amish community values forgiveness very strongly over punishment. Community leaders would be pressuring this girl to forgive her brothers and then report that she’s forgiven them to the authorities and then tidily sweep everything under the rug.

When I was a student I was friend with someone who worked in a children’s home (where the children were there because they had committed a crime). He said there was 2 boys in there - sweet looking, quietly spoken, well behaved, butter wouldn’t melt - similar story/ religious upbringing (not amish), has raped their sister.

These poor girls. I wonder how many don’t get discovered or are brought up believing that this is ‘one of those things’ and That they don’t discuss it - that they won’t get justice.

Paedos SHOULD have a rough time in prison. Or if they're that worried about them, they can segregate them from the general prison population and put them in with the other child rapists to keep them safe, that's very common practice. As it is, they're free to attack again and they're putting children around them in danger.

Poor, poor girl. Coerced by her brothers and probably had no idea what they were doing was terribly wrong. In a misogynistic religion where a girl's only destiny is marriage and motherhood, she's damaged goods now.

All four of those rapists should be imprisoned for a very long time.

The 2 men were 22-the child was 12, they also allowed 2 younger brothers to rape her.....they should absolutely be in prison-this is not justice in any shape or form.

The parents should be in the dock. They had no idea at all?

This is just horrifying, and yes to PPs stating it will be the girl who is shunned and coerced to forgive her brothers.

In communities like these girls are kept intentionally uneducated to reduce their ability to leave, and of course stop them developing a desire to leave.

Absolutely horrifying.

The baby - what happened to it? How will that poor mite be treated by the community?

It is a horrifying case and I can only imagine how that poor child has suffered. My hunch, fwiw, is the brothers weren't punished in the way we would hope and expect because they have some form of LD - it's the prosecutor who went for leniency and he emphasised their "immaturity" which I suspect is code for mental incapacity. He also said that he had gone for harsher sentences when dealing with other Amish criminals. It is a very, very sad and distressing case and, as others have said, probably not unique.

In communities like these girls are kept intentionally uneducated to reduce their ability to leave

The Amish are particularly uneducated (I hate to say) as both boys and girls are considered finished by 8th grade (so around 13). They also attend their own schools ....

He also said that he had gone for harsher sentences when dealing with other Amish criminals

Usually drug trafficking and animal cruelty (think puppy mills)

Oh they've got to write a letter about how they'll prevent future abuse of their own children. Well, that's alright then. Very harsh punishment that, writing a letter.

Unbelievable.