haddadadad

always cool when a neato guy makes something like this comic:

The daughter of a family from West Africa was recently sexually assaulted by four neighborhood boys, aged 9 through 14, who admitted to authorities they planned the assault. Child Protective Services has her under their care currently while the boys are under arrest.

The police came to the scene after the happening, which was about 10 to 15 minutes long. The boys tricked her coming into shed with gum, then assaulted her. Calls were made when people heard her screaming and saw her run out with only a few of her clothes. One boy was caught by the police; the three others were later identified.

The police are saying the parents blame their daughter for the attack (a relative said that isn’t a true statement) and don’t want anything done to the boys. The father is on record saying he wants nothing done to the boys, only that he wants his daughter back. CPS will have her in custody for three months minimum.

AZ Central reports,

Phoenix police Sgt. Andy Hill, a longtime public-information officer, described the case as “one of the worst crimes we have come across in Phoenix in quite some time,” given the ages of the victim and the suspects, as well as the circumstances of the reported attack.

The girl and the four suspects are refugees from the war-torn West African country of Liberia, which, according to investigators, would complicate authenticating names and dates of birth.

Arizona Child Protective Services took custody of the girl after the July 16 incident at the apartment complex after her parents disowned her.

Hill said the parents blamed her for being victimized and bringing shame to the family.

This reaction from the father stirs up some trouble. Her mother’s reaction is in the video. The shame culture of parts of Africa are alive. Admittedly, the father explained he doesn’t understand the criminal justice system in the States as he’s only been here for five years, but his family consistently explain to interviewers how they will scold the girl for being raped and causing trouble She’s eight.

Who’s to blame in sex assault of girl? Father says nobody Phoenix Metro News via Drudge Report
4 boys accused in rape of 8-year-old girl az central
Parents Blame 8-Year-Old Victim of Alleged Rape bvblackspin — has cnn video

Michelle Obama has taken quite well to her first lady role. She’s been telling people how it is — need to eat healthier, so plant a garden at the White House. She hugged Queen Elizabeth when she met her because it was the nice thing to do. Queens don’t hug just anybody.

Fact: She was her husband’s supervisor when they first met.

This CNN article explains that Lady Obama being dark-skinned is a big effing deal to other people, people who grow up learning women are lesser, and women who aren’t white are even more so.

The women [Heather Ferreira] meets in the squalid streets where “Slumdog Millionaire” was filmed are often treated with contempt, she says. They’re considered ugly if their skin and hair are too dark. They are deemed “cursed” if they only have daughters. Many would-be mothers even abort their children if they learn they’re female.

Yet lately she says Indian women are getting another message from the emergence of another woman thousands of miles away. This woman has dark skin and hair. She walks next to her husband in public, not behind. And she has two daughters. But no one calls her cursed. They call her Michelle Obama, the first lady. cnn

Ferreira is a program officer for an HIV-prevention program run by World Vision and works around people in Mumbai, India. Her observation of the Obamas is about their children: they only have daughters and the First Lady isn’t shunned for not having a son.

While she has been chided for wearing super expensive shoes to charity events focused on helping less fortunate folks and her style is scrutinized at every appearance, this lady is on track for awesome. Yeah, the Obamas’ PR people push how “normal” and hip the family is, but this woman DOES all these things. She’s out there helping and still hangs with her kids and husband. She sneaks out of the White house with her secret service guys to get fast food. She’s kind of cool.

Why Michelle Obama inspires women around the globe cnn
Michelle Obama Wears $540 Designer Sneakers to Feed the Poor fox news.com
First 100 Days: Michelle Obama’s Style Washington Post
First lady says she sneaks off to fun restaurants mail.com (from AP)
tywkiwdbi

That’s cool I guess.

This article in Huffington Post was actually posted on March 31st… damn. A dude can have nonconsentual sex with his wife, child marriage is a-okay, and a woman has to have permission to leave her home. Sweet. Apparently the bill explaining the cool law was a rushed dealy by president Karzai in an attempt to appease a voting crowd that is losing interest in him.

Everybody and their mom got pissed about this (except me because i JUST read about it sighface but maybe my mom knows about it) and now it’s on hold.

The British Government expressed alarm at the law, which applies to the 15 per cent of the Afghan population that is Shia Muslim. President Obama called the law “abhorrent” at the Nato summit in Strasbourg last week.

The Afghan Government is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which enshrines equality in dignity and rights regardless of religion or sex. Article 22 of the Afghan Constitution also explicitly reiterates the equality of men and women before the law. The Times, 2009 April 7

The Times had a copy of a draft, who knows how legit it is, but if it is…

the law explicitly sanctions marital rape. “As long as the husband is not travelling, he has the right to have sexual intercourse with his wife every fourth night,” Article 132 says. “Unless the wife is ill or has any kind of illness that intercourse could aggravate, the wife is bound to give a positive response to the sexual desires of her husband.”

Article 133 reintroduces the Taleban restrictions on women’s movements outside their homes, stating: “A wife cannot leave the house without the permission of the husband” unless in a medical or other emergency.

Article 27 endorses child marriage with girls legally able to marry once they begin to menstruate.

The law also withholds from the woman the right to inherit her husband’s wealth.

Good thing Karzai was just kidding because that law would allow girls as young as eight to marry and start doing the hippity dippity regardless of what they want to do because their husbands want poon.

Rights reversal: For some Afghan women, a return to the shadows pittsburgh post-gazette
Taylor Marsh: President Karzai ‘Legalizes’ Rape huffington post
Afghan leader accused of bid to ‘legalise rape’: UN and women MPs say Karzai bowed to Islamic fundamentalists before poll the independent
Taylor Marsh: Karzai Rape Law on “Hold” huffington post
Taleban-style law for women in Afghanistan is dropped after outcry the times
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai vows to change Afghan marital rape law new york daily news

Little Faith Mwampe was born with the feet and extra tissue of an unformed twin sister on her bum area. Now that she is 9 months old, the doctors in Zambia will perform surgery to remove what’s left of her sib. Her mom, Mercy Lenganji, is 18 years old. The father of the child rejected her outright and hasn’t been back. To send him hate mail, you can look him up in Zambia. His name is Martin Mwampe.

Mercy’s family have been with her all the way and kept her and the kid strong. Now there’s just waiting for the actual surgery. They have been told Faith will only need one surgery and the rest of recovery will be therapy.

from the UK Telegraph
and wtf_nature