Women's rights groups call for urgent action to combat 'worryingly short' prison sentences

[theHandpuppet]

The Independent
Wednesday 22 October 2014
Oscar Pistorius: Women's rights groups call for urgent action to combat 'worryingly short' prison sentences for domestic violence

News that Oscar Pistorius could be set to serve as little as 10 months of his five year prison term for shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day 2013 was met with shock by women’s rights groups today, who called for “robust and urgent action” to end violence against women.

By South African legal guidelines, this means the athlete, who was found guilty of the culpable homicide (the equivalent to manslaughter in the UK) in September, might carry out a shorter sentence for his violent crime than if he had been found guilty of two counts of breaking and entering, or of supplying illegal drugs.

"This case will set a precedent all around the world," Reeva Steenkamp’s British sister, Simone Cowburn, told the Daily Mail ahead of sentencing on Monday. "We do not want other men to get off just because Oscar Pistorius has. It is still homicide.

"If a man steals a block of cheese here, he can get 20 years and that is for theft. But if you take somebody's life like Oscar has, you can get house arrest. It is not right.".... MORE at http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/oscar-pistorius-sentence-womens-rights-groups-call-for-urgent-action-to-combat-worryingly-short-prison-terms-for-domestic-violence-9811721.html

[niyad]

1. just one more case showing how little women are valued.

[Tumbulu]

2. so very sadly true

and I am so sick of it.