1.1 Million People Sign Petition To Get Justice For Busia Gang Rape Victim

More than a million people have signed
an online petition demanding justice
after three men accused of brutally
gang-raping a girl in Kenya were ordered
to cut grass as punishment.
The policemen who ordered the
punishment should be disciplined for
failing to investigate rape charges, the
petition said.
The 16-year old was gang-raped and
dumped in a pit latrine in Busia.
When her case came to light earlier this
month, it caused national outrage.
The director of public prosecutions has
ordered the national police to
investigate why the local force, known
as administration police, did not fully
investigate the alleged rape, and instead
ordered the suspects to cut grass.
The alleged rapists are reported to have
gone into hiding.
The petition - published by online
campaign group Avaaz - called on
Kenya's police chief David Kimaiyo to
"deliver justice" for the girl, named Liz.
Already over 1.1 million people have
signed.
Her alleged attackers should be
immediately arrested and prosecuted
and disciplinary action should be
instituted against police officers who
"dismally failed to handle her case", the
petition said.
"By holding these police officers to
account you will send a strong message
to police everywhere that rape is not a
misdemeanour, it is a serious crime, and
if police do not uphold the law they will
be held to account," it added.
"We call on you to ensure Liz's case is a
turning point to end the war on girls."
The 16-year old was attacked after
returning from a grandfather's funeral in
a village in Busia, western Kenya, the
local Daily Nation newspaper reported
earlier this month.
Her back was broken during the attacks
and she now uses a wheelchair, reported
the paper, which first reported the story
and led a campaign to raise funds to
cover her medical costs.
- BBC

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