Rotting down under

I've known for a while that Australia has some serious problems as a society. If you disbelieve me I invite you to put your favorite search engine through its paces and read up about the Aboriginal communities there. When you institutionalize the practice of walling off a segment of your populace, even when it's claimed it's to "help preserve their culture," it's going to introduce problems. When you learn that an estimated three out of five children has suffered sexual abuse at the community of Cherbourg in Queensland and no one seems to find this atypical, you get the idea that perhaps things are way past such innocuous terms as "issues" and "problems."

The latest development I've stumbled across makes me want to scream. Hold onto your hats folks, cause this is utterly fucked up.

In 2002, a girl was gang-raped at the age of seven. In 2006, after she'd been removed from foster care and placed back into the Aboriginal community in Aurukun, she was gang-raped AGAIN. I have no idea if those responsible for the previous rape ever faced criminal charges, but it's no secret that NINE of the men who raped the ten year old escaped jail time. (1)

Was that because of lack of evidence on the part of the prosecution? Not even close.

"Nine males who pleaded guilty last month to gang-raping a 10-year-old girl at the Aurukun Aboriginal community on Cape York have escaped a prison term, with the sentencing judge saying the child victim "probably agreed" to have sex with them."(3)

And this pillar of law and justice was not ripped from the bench and stripped of office if not lynched from the nearest lamp post?! A child CANNOT consent to sex. EVER. How any judge could make a pronouncement like that, counter to the law they swore to uphold, makes me despair for "civilization."

"Cairns-based District Court judge Sarah Bradley ordered that the six teenage juveniles not even have a conviction recorded for the 2005 offence, and that they be placed on a 12-month probation order."
"Judge Bradley sentenced three men over the age of consent of 16 - aged 17, 18 and 26 - to six months' imprisonment, with the sentence suspended for 12 months."
"One of the adult rapists, Raymond Frederick Woolla, 26, is on the Australian National Child Offence Register following a conviction on March 29 last year for unlawful carnal knowledge of a female child - an offence committed after he was charged with the rape of the 10-year-old girl."(3)

"Mr Carter also told the court such incidents were not out of character in small, remote communities."(1)

But perhaps it's only to expected when according to Premier Anna Bligh, "That's actually quite unusual in Australia for people in these positions to be accountable in their actions."(2)

Yeah, lack of accountability is always a great thing to have for people in authority.

I think I'm glad I live in the U.S.

1) Stuff.co.nz , AAP Dec. 12, 2007 -- Story
2) ABC (abc.net.au), Posted Tue Dec 11, 2007 AEDT Updated Wed Dec 12, 2007 -- Story
3) The Australian (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au), Tony Koch and Padraic Murphy | December 10, 2007 -- Story

EDIT:
According to theage.com.au, the girl has been slammed pretty hard by life. In addition to fetal alcohol syndrome and mild retardation, she contracted syphilis at age seven. Apparently, they discovered she had gonorrhea when she turned up at a clinic looking for condoms and wondering if she was pregnant, according to another source. I swear this place just looks better and better.