Maree Crabbe; 8/11/07
The non-custodial sentencing this week of eight young men who humiliated and sexually assaulted a young woman has generated a strong public response. A Children’s Court judge convicted seven of the eight youths after they pleaded guilty to making a film in Werribee last year that showed them forcing a 17-year-old girl to perform sex acts with two of the boys while others spat on her and set her hair on fire.The perpetrators used the body of another human being to further their own sense of gratification and power. Unfortunately, this incident is an extreme manifestation of a set of attitudes towards women that remain prevalent throughout our society.