I am completely beyond words about how this young lady/ child was utterly and completely betrayed by her own people (the men of her community), DOCS, the so-called justice system, the department of prosecutions and the judge. It will be nothing short of a miracle if this young lady ever is able to grow up as a effective functioning adult.

I cannot comprehend how a number of Lebanese rapists in Sydney were each given 25+ years for their crimes against ladies in Sydney, yet this young girl was given the message - you don't count, you're not important, and people wonder why rape goes under- reported in the communities. How on earth are other women going to ever stand up to this atrocity when they will be so utterly betrayed by the system.

I just pray that somehow this young lady will gain a healing of her heart, mind and soul and that somehow she will gain the strength to go beyond this devastation to become a powerful wise leader, perhaps a Mother, Sister, Auntie, Niece etc in her community.

Robert,

Thanx for the links.

All other words fail me right now.

I have no problem with the sentencing. The judge made the decision and that's the way it is. Note aboriginals operate also under their own law, which may have influenced the ruling. In other words, mind your own business you werte not at the proceeding and do not have the expertise to pass judgement. Remember all the raping of children on holy ground by catholics? I did not detect as much outrage, no doubt because it reflected on the hypocrisy of those professing values.

I cracked up at Foxy's comment.... "[The outrage] should be screamed from the rooftops." I mean, seriously. I'm sorry, but that's wrong. You don't let emotion sway judgement. I've come across one comment on another forum where someone abused as a child was more shocked at people's reactions than the 'abuse' itself. Nothing is more frightening and harmful to a child to see a grown adult turn red with rage and spit into the air screaming like a baby. It's a disgraceful way to conduct oneself.

Rape is being thrown about too much these days. And that's wrong because the term covers consensual sex under the age of consent all the way to violent rape. No doubt that's how the morally righteous made it to be but I don't accept the terms use in the sweeping category it currently encompasses.

Steel
Your attitude is beneath contempt, I bet that you have no children or you would not be so sanguine about the violation of this child not by one person but nine. Now if the scaif brothers can be sentenced to twenty-five years for raping an adult woman why should we not expect that those who rape a ten year old child should not be treated with such leniency that the longest time in custody for any of them was 14days(according to the sentencing transcript).
Do you likewise need reminding that we have only one law in this country that applies to all Australians regardless of their ethnicity?

It looks as though you didn't read my comment and deferred to your emotions instead. You are not a judge. You were not present at the hearing of the case. That means you are judging something based on the media and your emotions. If anything is contemptuous, that is. If you want my pesonal opinion -that is unrelated to the decision of the ruling judge- the sentence should be determined on the level of harm to the victim, as evidenced by their current psychology and level of distress including pertaining facts such as whether there was consent. Not emotion as virtualy almost all screaming for blood have done here, like a lynch mob. It's disgusting to observe.

Dear Steel,

You are talking about a ten year old child. She was seven years old when she was first raped. I may not have been there in the court room but I listened to her aunt in the interview she gave on television. And I believe the aunt when she talked about the rape of her niece and begged for justice to be done in the case of the rapists.

I don't understand why your disgust is directed at us instead of the rapists. Is it because the child is black and you think that what happened is part of their culture?