Rape accusation by US athlete sparks Croatian sex crime debate

[emad]

Ian Traynor in Zagreb
Friday April 29, 2005
The Guardian

The alleged rape of an American athlete in a small Croatian town has triggered a national debate on violence against women and trenchant criticism of how the courts belittle sexual crime.

Pressure is mounting for tougher sentencing in rape cases and an end to the practice of courts allocating blame to sexual assault victims.

The incident that sparked the row occurred this month when a 28-year-old basketball player was relaxing in her hotel room in the small town of Gospic. According to a statement she gave to police the following morning, a well-connected local businessman she knew forced his way into the room and raped her.

The reaction of the authorities turned a spotlight on the ways violence against women in the Balkans is hushed up.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1472743,00.html

[Colorado Blue]

1. Maybe something good will arise from something terrible. nt

[pnutchuck]

2. It's like that in Eastern Europe as well....

violence against women is pervasive in all parts of the world. Luckily, the US has had strong activist groups who have pushed for tougher legislation and harsher punishments. That doesn't stop many men from blaming the victim however. Unfortunately, women who are abused or raped by people they know are all too often too scared to come foward no matter what country you're in.

What we need is education starting at birth that teaches our children that it's not ok to attack women. And if you're a girl, it's not ok to be attacked.

My heart goes out to her. And good for her for sparking this debate. Hopefully, it will help many other women living under this dark cloud of shame.