The only way a male can be raped is by - forced penetration. The only way a female gets raped is by - forced penetration. The case of consenting minors,as in this case,is not rape.It is an irresponsible act in which the adult broke the laws regarding the legal age of consent which is 16 in most Australian states.
The blurring of the lines between traumatic rape and underage sex by willing participants does not help the case of those who have been truly traumatized.The boys went back for more on three occasions so it would appear that they enjoyed themselves.This is hardly comparable to the large numbers of women in this country who have suffered lifelong damage as a result of rape which is frequently a violent and demeaning experience.
How times have changed.At boarding school a 15 year old,who looked 25,befriended a builder at the school.When this was discovered,she was expelled without a second chance.Her home life was unstable,her mother was dead,and the local school not good.No charges were considered against the man involved.
Some years later two girls were raped in their tents on a school excursion to a national park...both girls were expelled.Perhaps they had been drinking,I don't know.Again very harsh treatment,especially when the acts were forced.Again there were no charges or case against any men involved.
At university one of the girls left the local and hitched a ride up the hill.The young men who picked her up held a knife to her throat and took turns.The girl's father and four other brothers all held senior positions in the police force,and yet their was absolutely nothing they could do because she had put herself in danger by hitching a ride after a night at the pub.Clearly a lack of self responsibility used to counts for something,unlike today.The men involved were never charged or questioned.
Noel McNamara's perceived outrage at the 20 year old woman's sentence seems a bit rich when you consider the above examples.
This young woman has serious self esteem and alcohol issues and probably had an abusive childhood,as well as prior involvement in an attempted robbery.The article states she had trained as a childcare worker,but who would employ her with a criminal record anyway.The judge would have done better to send her on one of those wilderness camps where they seem to get good results with troubled youth before they go completely awol.
