The second rape.

A 14 year old girl gets raped in a school toilet, during a normal school day. The rapist is a 16 year old boy who is good looking and popular at the school. The girl goes to the police, and the boy gets convicted for rape in court. One part of the evidence is a recorded confession that the boy has made to the police, where all details are the same as in the girls story. The whole village where they both live take sides for the boy. Rumours are spread about the girl being "easy", or that she liked him and when he rejected her she reported the rape in revenge. Barely anyone finds it likely that this boy would commit a rape.

The kids at the school are bullying the girl on daily basis. She gets dirty words thrown in her face when she passes old friends by, or she is totally ignored. On the internet support groups are founded to support the boy, to free him of all convictions, and to get him back to the school after he is transferred to another school. The girl is considered a worthless lier that is ruining an innocent boys life.

Even worse than the kids are the grown ups in the village. The principal of the school, the leader of the after work activities and the village priest all decide to stay neutral in the question, they don't want to take anyone's side. Even after the boy is convicted. And none of them have acted in anyway against the hate campaigns that are taking place in the internet.

There are other grown ups making comments, and helping spreading the rumours about how the girl has been lying, how it should be impossible to force some one to perform oral sex or how the boy is such a great boy that can get any girls he want, so why would he need to rape someone...

The only story of all the stories flourishing that anyone has actually heard directly from the girl is the one she has also told the police. All the other stories have been told by a friend of a friend.

On the day of the school graduation the boy is attending another school and also has a restraining order on him forbidding him to be near the girl. The graduation ceremony is held in the village church. The girls mother decides to take the girl away on a trip, because she figures it might be a difficult day for her. On the ceremony the boy shows up and hands out flowers and hugs to all his former class mates and teachers in the church. The priest is very impressed with the boys behaviour and also proud that the church is open for everyone. When a reporter asks him if he didn't see a problem in that the girl might have been there and that the boy actually has a restraining order on him, the priest answers that he didn't know that. He didn't know that the boy was convicted, and he says that he actually didn't care to find out the verdict.

Later that night, the boy rapes a another girl. This time it is a completed. He also gets convicted in court for this rape.

The priests comments: "I feel sorry for the boy. ...and of course the girl".

The village still doesn't believe that the boy is a rapist.

Now both girls are attacked as sluts and liers.

This happened in the north of Sweden. But I promise that this is not the only case like this. The image of the rapist is to narrow. A rapist can be anyone. It's not only ugly perverts that are sneaking around in the bushes and attacking girls on the way home in the middle of the night. A rapist can be that popular good looking guy who gets a lot of girls. A rapist can be anyone. But of course that doesn't mean that everyone is a rapist.

We grown ups need to stop thinking that being neutral is the best solution. Maybe this is very Swedish. We have stayed out of wars for a long time by playing the neutral card. But neutral is not good enough. We have to step up and take measures against those who are doing wrong! And to stand by the victims. Especially when the victims are kids!

The program about this incident is available to see here until the 9th of July (in Swedish only).

Tromsø.

I am a city girl, but that doesn't mean that I don't enjoy being in the nature. I am an active person and enjoy the outdoors (even though I do prefer it if it is possible to have a real shower and a real bed in the end of the day, nothing fancy, just a bed and a shower is enough). Swimming, hiking, skiing, snowboarding, biking... and all best enjoyed in a beautiful surrounding. Just watching a view of a beautiful landscape can be meditating. You can just feel your mind relaxing and your whole body is breathing in the beauty. I guess that's what they call breathtaking.Today I got a dose of breathtaking landscape. Mountains, fjords and snow in a fantastic mix!

Sunday treat.

The Girl Effect.