Rape: It's every where!

There was outcry when news spread of a 23 year old woman who was gang-raped and inflicted with grevious (truly horrific) injuries, but if I could take a moment to draw your attention to the following:

- 11 year old girl gang-raped and inflicted with grevious injuries.  She has undergone 14 major reconstructive surgeries (and will have at least 1 more), and her family is being pressured to drop the case (Jaipur)

- a 6 year old girl was raped (Moga district)

- a 6 year old girl was (allegedly) raped (Sindh, Pakistan)

- the age of a woman raped in Central Park (New York) in September 2012: 73

- 14 men have been accused of repeatedly gang-raping an 11 year old girl in Texas (they said she 'dressed older than her age')

- in the US, 15% of sexual assault and rape victims are under the age of 12

- 48 women were raped per hour in Congo during the war

- 60,000+ women were raped in the 1990s during the Bosnian conflict

- a 12 year old boy was forced to participate in the rape of his mother (in the US)

- in Afghanistan, women are being imprisoned for being raped

- US forces raped several women in rural Afghanistan

- in Morocco, a 16 year old rape victim committed suicide after bring forced to marry her rapist

- an 8 year old, a 14 year old and a 15 year old were forced to marry a 59 year old at the Tony Alamo Christian Ministry in Arkansas

These are just the 'public' and 'not-so-public' ones.  There are thousands upon thousands that are unheard of.  Thousands upon thousands that are suppressed in order to protect 'honour' and 'family', and other 'reasons'.

Churches, temples, madrassas, schools...homes.

In some cases, when the victims speak out they're branded as liars or prostitutes.  Others (or their families) are 'convinced' to quieten up.  Others die.  Others disappear.

A few get the push their case needs, a few have the attention given to them.  A few may be able to get justice.

The rest?  With bandaged wounds and suppressed trauma, they 'live'...

All

Across

The

World