Saturday, March 12, 2005

I wish I could do more.

I am posting this as a separate post, because it is a serious matter (and I'm usually not). Some people joke when things bother them and you never really know what their undercurrent is.

My friend called me over the weekend. He is an Irish man in his 40’s – big and strong. He called me, sobbing, because his 5 year old son had been molested by a 15 year old neighbor boy. I don’t know if his son had been raped or not. He was so upset and I felt helpless to do anything for him, but listen (sometimes, that is all you can do). I gave him the number of a friend in the Ministry of Interior who, I hope and pray, will feel as repulsed and disgusted about it as I did; and hopefully be able to help him. It just turned my stomach. I get upset if someone remotely bothers my dog. I can’t imagine if I had a child and something like that happened. I suppose they would never find the aggressor’s body, but that’s just me. At 15, the aggressor isn’t even a whole person yet. God, I hope that I don’t see my friend’s name in the newspaper in a few days. I don’t want to talk too much more about this (although I’ll respond to comments) because I feel like crying when I think about it and there is nothing more I can do.

3 comments:

Closet Diva said...

amerab, what can i say? I am ENRAGED! just yesturday my philipina maid confided in me and told me that two years ago a couple of kuwaiti guys violently molested her on her way to the bakala. she recounted the experience with such horror in her eyes and tears streaming down her face. I was speechless. we have a moral responsiblity to take care of those people that work for us, emotionally and physically. but she was afraid to tell me at the time! and what can i do about it now? i doubt the cops would help. i wish i could find those bastards and beat the crap out of them.
I'm glad your friend is taking steps to address this shameless atrocity. even if the kid was 15 years old, one day he will grow up and be a man and he needs to know what he did was invasive and utterly unacceptable. i hope he gets his ass whopped for molesting that child.

Desert Girl said...

Kuwait sometimes pretends like it isn't a third-world country. A "civilized" country can be judged by how those who are more vulnerable (and that includes animals)are treated.

People who are cruel to animals often grow up to be cruel to other humans (Jeffrey Dahmer, for example).

Life in all forms must be respected.

The police don't do anything here because they aren't forced to do anything. It has to come from the top.

I think that there also needs to be a grass-roots movement in Kuwait to teach women (of all nationalities)what they should do in the event of something like this happening. I took a rape-prevention course once in high school and I really learned a lot from it. It was only an hour long.

It doesn't take a lot of training to learn how to scream "fire" (because no one will come running to help you/assist if you scream "rape". Shout "fire" and see 400 Indians run just to watch), kick the assailant in the groin, or poke his eye out with your thumb (they can pop it back in at the hospital).

Jewaira said...

that makes me feel sick, but you're such a good friend to have telling him where to go for help. However, one hears this story almost on a daily basis in the papers now. What is actually done about it???? to prevent such things from happening?