Belgium Teen Gang-Raped By Minors After Being Lured Into Forest, Youngest Offender Is Aged 11

Belgium Teen Gang-Raped By Minors After Being Lured Into Forest, Youngest Offender Is Aged 11

The Incident

In a disturbing case that has sparked outrage across Belgium, a 14-year-old girl was gang-raped by ten of her boyfriend’s friends in a forest. According to the Brussels Times, all the ten accused are believed to be minors, aged between 11 and 16. As per prosecutors, the girl was abused by the minors on up to three occasions between April 2 and April 6 over the Easter holidays.

The Assault

The girl, who has not been named for privacy reasons, was allegedly lured into a wooded area called Kabouterbos in Kortrijk, West Flanders (five miles from the French border), by her teenage boyfriend over the Easter school break. She was sexually abused by his friends, with some sources stating she was kept there for two days. The group also filmed the attack on their smartphones and posted clips to social media.

The Perpetrators

The group members took turns abusing the victim, and all participated ”to a greater or lesser extent,” Belgian outlet Nieuwsblad said in its report. The outlet further reported that the suspects were ”believed to be young people of immigrant origin”. While six of the suspects have been placed in a closed institution, the other four are placed under house arrest.

Legal Actions

Tom Janssens of the West Flemish public prosecutor’s office told VRT News, “The youngest suspect is 11 years old. As the suspects are so young, we are not releasing much information. However, they have all been identified and arrested and measures have been taken by the juvenile court. Our attention is now going first and foremost to the victim. She is receiving counselling.”

Support for the Victim

The victim, meanwhile, is receiving specialist guidance and counselling following her ordeal.

Ongoing Investigation

An ongoing investigation into the case will now work to establish to what extent each suspect was involved in the assault on the 14-year-old girl, or if any were bystanders.

Similar Incidents

The case in Belgium comes three years after another, similarly horrific incident shocked the country when a 14-year-old girl was raped by a group of young men in a cemetery in Ghent, in East Flanders.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. SDG 5: Gender Equality

   • Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation.
   • Indicator 5.2.1: Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to physical, sexual, or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner in the previous 12 months.

2. SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

   • Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence against and torture of children.
   • Indicator 16.2.2: Number of victims of human trafficking per 100,000 population, by sex, age group, and form of exploitation.

Explanation

The issues highlighted in the article are connected to SDG 5: Gender Equality and SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions.

SDG 5: Gender Equality

The gang rape of the 14-year-old girl represents a form of violence against women and girls, which is addressed by SDG 5. The specific target under this goal that can be identified based on the article’s content is Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation.

Indicator 5.2.1 can be used to measure progress towards this target. It measures the proportion of ever-partnered women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to physical, sexual, or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner in the previous 12 months. While the article does not provide information about the relationship between the victim and the perpetrators, it highlights the sexual abuse and exploitation she experienced.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

The gang rape of the 14-year-old girl also relates to SDG 16, which aims to end abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence against children. The specific target under this goal that can be identified based on the article’s content is Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence against and torture of children.

Indicator 16.2.2 can be used to measure progress towards this target. It measures the number of victims of human trafficking per 100,000 population, by sex, age group, and form of exploitation. While the article does not explicitly mention human trafficking, it describes the girl being lured into a wooded area and sexually abused by multiple individuals. This can be seen as a form of exploitation and violence against a child.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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Fuente: ndtv.com

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