MEERWALA, Pakistan

After being kidnapped at the age of 16 by a group of thugs and enduring a year of rapes and beatings, Assiya Rafiq was delivered to the police and thought her problems were over.

Then, she said, four police officers took turns raping her.

The next step for Assiya was obvious: She should commit suicide. That’s the customary escape in rural Pakistan for a raped woman, as the only way to cleanse the disgrace to her entire family.

Instead, Assiya summoned the unimaginable courage to go public and fight back. She is seeking to prosecute both her kidnappers and the police, despite threats against her and her younger sisters. This is a kid who left me awed and biting my lip; this isn’t a tale of victimization but of valor, empowerment and uncommon heroism.

“I decided to prosecute because I don’t want the same thing to happen to anybody else,” she said firmly.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/26/opinion/26kristof.html

an even worse case from the US and A;

Offers of help are pouring in for an eight-year-old Liberian girl disowned by her own family in Phoenix, Arizona, after being raped by four boys.

The girl is under the care of the Arizona Child Protective Service (CPS) because her parents said she had shamed them, and they did not want her back.

Phoenix police said calls had come in from all over the US offering money, or even to adopt the young girl.

The boys, Liberian immigrants aged nine to 14, have been charged with rape.

The case has sparked outrage across the US and even drawn condemnation from Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, an outspoken anti-rape campaigner.

"I think that family is wrong. They should help that child who has been traumatised," Mrs Johnson-Sirleaf told CNN.

Worse?  Why?  Because it happened in the US?  What difference does it make WHERE it happened?

How vile of you to use these unimaginable, hideous tortures that these children endured and turn them into your same old tired rhetoric.   

did I say it`s worse because it happened in America? It`s worse because the girl is just 8 years old. But it seems like catwoman is quite concerned with the place of incident.

I believe there is a difference...where is the outcry of support for the girl in Pakistan.  Obviously, she is fearing for her life.  This isn´t something here in the U.S. people turn their eye on.  Yes, we can do a better job with sexual predators...but believe me the general public does not tolerate rape or children getting molested.  I think it takes a brave woman any where in the world to stand up for her self.  But it appears there are many countries where woman fear the backlash from doing this.  It looks like Pakistan is one of those countries.

 I admire her courage especially at her young age and within the culture she has been brought up with. I only hope her stand will not be in vain .....and that her case isn´t buried in bureaucracy ...... or that she be subjected to more fear and pain

 This is also a disguisting case....but I don´t see how it is worse/better.  Maybe this child is in slightly better circumstances because society at large does not comdemn her.....in the other story, the young woman is fighting the men who raped her and society at large (old traditions...ect...).  Both of these stories break my heart and anyone who can hurt a child is by far the most despicable and lowest of human beings. 

It saddens me that these offenders can´t be rehabilitated, however  we  allow them back into society.  While we have non-violent offenders serving life sentences.  How distorted is that...Have you ever taken a look at this site?  http://www.familywatchdog.us/ 

 Not that one, but I check this one from time to time.  It´s pretty shocking what you find....maybe even right next door.

Megan´s Law

Still campaigning for the equivalent in UK, Sarah´s Law hasn´t quite got the same access to information yet.....seems they are more worried about the human rights of the offenders and their fear of vigilantism than giving parents the peace of mind that their children are safe in their own communities

you are pathetic.

 Hmmm....you know, we have a tendancy to become complacant and think "those" type of things only happen to "other" people. When I look at this site and put in various search criteria, it´s truly frightening.  You can see the faces of the criminals, and you know they don´t look particularly special.

Some of the faces are frightening, but then, you know what they did, so it colors your perception.  It is not only pedophiles, there are some very violent criminals shown there. 

 I put my address in and it showed a convicted rapist living near me.  I don´t even live in a bad neighborhood.   It bothered me so much that I drove by on my way home last night to see where this person lived.  To my suprise he lived in a nice house!  You never know about people,  however I am taking a different route when I go running.  I even contemplated notifying my home owners association, but I would be fearful of any repercutions.  I don´t want to draw attention to myself.    I just wonder how many nieghbors of mine know this. 

I think there is one in every neighborhood, Teas.  It´s very scary.  I don´t even send my older child out to play unless I am with him.   Times have really changed and not for the better. 

My gifrlfriend lives in a very exclusive, affluent, gated community here.  She put her address in the data base and came up with a child molester two doors down. 

In Northern California there is a very high profile case of a minister´s daughter being charged with the abduction, rape and murder of a 7 year old girl.

These people are not held in any bounds...they are found in any every race, religion, ethnicity, socio-economic level, gender, etc.....

That is one of the things that makes it so insidious....it could be anyone, anywhere. 

I just put in the county of Los Angeles and found there are 11,205, in San Diego county there are 2, 677.  If you only have one, you are very lucky.