New Zealand: child rape punished with community service

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New Zealand: child rape punished with community service

Postby sam » Tue Nov 18, 2008 8:32 am

In September 2005, a Wellington District Court sentenced a woman who pimped two girls aged 14 and 17 to a mere 300 hours of community work and offered her name protection so she could keep running a brothel. The 14-year old was in the care of Child, Youth and Family Services at the time and the pimp had taken payment from 24 men to organize the rapes of the girl.

Child prostitution trivialised by Manukau Courts
Tuesday, 18 November 2008, 10:34 am
Press Release: Stop Demand

http://www.scoop .co.nz/stories/PO0811/S00231.htm

Men convicted of buying sex from children in South Auckland are being treated far too leniently by the Courts, says advocacy group Stop Demand Foundation.

Stop Demand’s comments follow a sentence of community work handed out this month by the Manukau District Court to 21-year old Adam Andrew Rika, convicted under the Prostitution Reform Act 2003 of buying sex from a person under 18 years.

Stop Demand’s founder Denise Ritchie says “There is a disturbing trend coming from the Manukau District Court that reveals that some prosecutors and some judges are totally out of touch with the seriousness of child sexual exploitation.”

In March this year, 41-year old Ross Wiperi received a paltry 200 hours community work by the Manukau District Court for buying sex from a child. Another child sexual exploiter, also sentenced to a meagre 200 hours community work, received name suppression. Last month, 38-year old Dennis Peter Kanara received one year’s supervision and three months community detention on similar charges. The maximum penalty for buying sex from a child is seven years imprisonment.

“Sentences of community work grossly trivialise the seriousness of the harm done to children sexually exploited through prostitution - psychologically, physically and emotionally - harm that is well documented in international research,” says Denise Ritchie. A 2006 federally-funded Australian study found that Sydney’s street prostitutes “are more likely to suffer from post traumatic stress disorder than soldiers returning from combat or police officers”.

”When New Zealand Courts treat the sexual exploitation of our children by adult men as a trifling misdemeanour, it is little wonder that this country has an appalling record of child abuse including child sex abuse. Weak sentences provide little deterrence to offenders. Judges imposing such sentences are sending a message to the community that the sexual exploitation of children is a low-level crime,” says Denise Ritchie.

In addition to tougher penalties, overseas studies have found two key deterrent factors in stopping men from buying sex generally: their spouse finding out and public exposure.
"Your orgasm can no longer dictate my oppression"

Trisha Baptie
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Re: New Zealand: child rape punished with community service

Postby sam » Thu Nov 20, 2008 10:29 am

Men 'the only winners of Prostitution Reform Act'
Thursday, 20 November 2008
http://www.stuff .co.nz/stuff/4767377a11.html

The only winners from the Prostitution Reform Act 2003 are men, says the National Council of Women of New Zealand.


Council national president Elizabeth Bang made the comment in light of sentences passed down to men convicted of having sex with girls under the age of 18.

She was alarmed at how light some of the sentences were.

The council supported the law change in order to validate and protect human rights -- not to condone prostitution, she said.

"The law was meant to give protection to those over the age of 18.

"And along with that, was the belief that the reform would see prostitution practised only by those 18 and over, but we are still seeing girls as young as 13 and 14 on the streets selling their bodies."

The council was disturbed there appeared to be no disincentive for men for their actions when they were getting name suppression and light sentences for buying sexual services from underage girls, Mrs Bang said.

The council wanted to see tougher penalties applied to the Act.
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Re: New Zealand: child rape punished with community service

Postby sam » Mon Mar 22, 2010 2:37 pm

I can't yet confirm if this is the same brothel owner from the thread-starting story, but it is a positive improvement regardless.

Brothel owner named
The Press
March 22, 2010

A Christchurch brothel-operator accused of exploiting under-age sex workers has lost a long-running bid to keep her name suppressed.

The Court of Appeal has refused Anna Anastazja Horlor leave to appeal against continued name suppression, saying publication will not affect her right to a fair trial.

Horlor is alleged to have employed two girls under the age of 18 to engage in striptease performances involving sex acts at a brothel, and one of the girls to act as a prostitute.

She faces six charges under the Prostitution Reform Act of facilitating and deriving benefits from commercial sexual services and two charges under the Crimes Act that she hired or entered into dealings with the girls for the purpose of sexual exploitation.

One of the girls was an international student attending high school on a student visa.

Horlor first appeared before the court in November 2007 and she has fought the publication or her name ever since, arguing it would damage her business and cause distress to her 17 year old daughter.

But the court dismissed Horlor’s appeal. In a written judgment issued today, it said: “We cannot see how publication of the appellant’s name could affect her right to a fair trial. Any publicity attendant on the lifting of name suppression will be confined to identifying the appellant and describing the charges she faces.’’

The case is set to go to back to court on April 1.
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