the bravery of one. {updated.}

{Or the disappointing outcome of the Pitt Meadows sexual assault case.} 

Like everyone else, I couldn't help but be horrified when I read about the gang rape of a 16-year-old girl at a party in Pitt Meadows last year. The case was especially horrific because photos and video of the assault were circulated on Facebook. I was really happy to hear about the arrest of one man for sexual assault and another for distributing child pornography. This week, though, it was a different story. The man who was arrested for sexual assault has had the charges stayed and the victim has been reduced to asking for witnesses to come forward through the media to help get any kind of conviction for the men responsible for what happened to her. Whether or not the man who was charged was part of assault, it is completely shameful that no one else has been arrested for the actual assault. The police know for certain that the girl was raped and it seems impossible to me that no one else has been arrested when the entire incident was caught on film (or digital 'film' as it were).

And so the only thing that I can say is to the victim: regardless of what the outcome of the judicial process is, don't let this event change your life for worse. You are tough and impressive. Standing up in public and urging witnesses to come forward is spectacularly brave and important. I really hope that all of the men who participated in this horrible act are convicted of the crime they committed. This cannot be the end of this. And to any witnesses: come forward. You can be brave too.

Update: I've noticed (through my blog's stats) that people are actively searching for pictures of this horrible event because this post has popped up in lieu of the pictures. Searching for photos of the sexual assault of this girl re-victimizes her and makes you an accomplice to a crime. Think about it. If this happened to your sister, daughter, mother, friend, would you want people looking for pictures of it on the Internet?