Rape cases rekindle debate on sentences: 'I still feel his hands on me'
Two cases of gang rape, one in Geel, the other in Kortrijk, have sparked a wave of outrage in Belgium over sentences deemed far too lenient.
Controversial verdicts fuel anger in Belgium and the United Kingdom
"Unacceptable. If the United Kingdom can revise a similar sentence because it is too lenient, we can do the same here." This is how De Morgen reports the reaction of many citizens following a serious rape case in Kortrijk, revealed on Friday.
A fourteen-year-old girl had been lured repeatedly into a wood by her boyfriend and then raped by a group of boys. The perpetrators, minors aged 11 to 16, received suspended sentences — a decision met with outrage by a large section of public opinion.
This case comes just days after a verdict concerning a gang rape committed in Geel in 2021 had also sparked fierce indignation on social media. The victim, a young girl then aged 15, had been invited to a "man cave" in Geel to watch the Euro match between Belgium and Italy.
Upon arrival, she was served a drink after which she felt very dizzy. The next morning, she experienced pain and noticed bruises across her body, without being able to remember what had happened.
It was only two years later, when viewing a video circulating online, that she discovered the truth. The images showed her lying motionless on a bed whilst one of the boys shouted: "Where's the condom, man?" Without this recording, she would never have learnt what had been done to her.
Two perpetrators, who were barely 18 at the time, were sentenced to three years in prison with suspension. A third, still a minor at the time, was tried by the youth court.
A British echo
The Belgian facts resonate with a case currently shaking the United Kingdom. Three boys — aged 13 and 14 at the time of the facts — had lured girls into traps to rape them. In one case, a victim had been threatened with a knife. Here too, the perpetrators had filmed everything; they can be heard in the images encouraging each other.
The announcement of a "youth rehabilitation order" — educational supervision — shocked many British people. The prosecution appealed the verdict, but the sentence was not revised at that stage.
One of the victims confided to the BBC the extent of the consequences. "I feel their hands on my body all the time," she said. "Even if I rub hard, this sensation does not go away. My body no longer belongs to me." She describes insomnia and "vivid flashbacks" that prevent her from studying, with a notable fall in her school results.
Her father believes the court inflicted profound injustice upon him: his daughter is serving what amounts to a "life sentence," whilst her attackers escape any imprisonment.
Scars that last
This sense of injustice is shared by other rape victims. "There is not a day when I do not think about what was done to me fifteen years ago," testifies Lore Baeten, who recounted her experience in a book. "Something constantly reminds me of it."
When images of the facts exist, the consequences are according to her doubly heavy. The lawyer of the Geel victim, Alek Dom, confirms that his client was harassed after the video was distributed. "She had tremendous difficulty at secondary school," Dom specifies. "She did not pursue her studies in the Geel region, for fear of being recognised."
Between severity and rehabilitation
The outrage sparked by these cases reveals a profound tension in society. Whilst collective sensitivity to sexual violence has clearly progressed, many believe that perpetrators of serious crimes are getting off too easily.
Liesbet Stevens, professor of sexual penal law at KU Leuven, calls however for nuance. After a long prison sentence — and three years is one according to her — the reintegration of the condemned into society becomes much more difficult. This is why judges often favour support and therapy. The same reasoning applies to minor perpetrators.
A suspended sentence retains according to her a strong deterrent effect. "It is a sword of Damocles that weighs constantly on the condemned," Stevens explains. "As soon as he does not respect the conditions, he must serve his three years."
Stevens does however raise reservations. The maximum duration of suspension is five years — precisely what the Geel condemned obtained — after which this pressure disappears. "I think it would be preferable to allow a longer duration," she says. "But that requires a modification of the law."
She also raises the question of compensation. Whilst the amounts awarded to victims of sexual violence are generally on the rise, they remain according to her insufficient. In the Geel case, the victim receives €12,500.
"This may seem like a lot, but one must take account of the fact that victims often need therapy for years," Stevens emphasises. "Specialised companies can have abusive images removed from the internet, but they charge high fees. The costs for victims can accumulate quickly."
Source: De Morgen