Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Minimum 12 Years for Raping his Child Bride

The Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal-Sentinel is reporting the story of the Hmong man sentenced to 8 years in prison for raping his wife over many years.  The story is a tragic story with elements of family law, cultural differences, pedophilia, and sexual violence.  This is from Bruce Vielmetti's account: 

"Thaying Lor (pic) was sentenced to a minimum of eight years in prison Monday after being found guilty of sexually assaulting his wife over the course of their marriage, beginning when he essentially kidnapped and raped her at age 12.  Under sentencing [guidelines], Lor could serve as much as about 12 years in prison.

Lor was charged in March after his wife's testimony in their divorce hearing about the forced beginnings of her marriage led a bailiff to contact law enforcement about the case.  Lor claimed his actions during their relationship were proper and his right as a husband in an arranged Hmong marriage. Prosecutors said it was in fact criminal behavior.  The woman, now 31 and who has a different last name than Lor, is not being identified because she is the victim of a sexual assault. A judge in March granted her a divorce, even though the couple had never been legally married in Wisconsin. She has custody of the couple's six children, some of whom testified against their father.

The week long trial before Circuit Judge Kevin Martens featured extensive testimony about Hmong cultural beliefs and practices, much of it through interpreters. The victim's mother testified that she and her husband accepted a $3,000 dowry from Lor to pay for a celebration and to not tell police about the union. She said they only hoped Lor would love and care for their daughter."
__________________________
I was recently at an AA meeting featuring a speaker from our culture with a similar story as the one here.  These grave crimes of child sex abuse and exploitation can not be explained away as being taken out of cultural context.  Sex crimes against women and children are crimes against humanity.

1 comment:

  1. Interesting blog. It would be great if you can provide more details about it. Thanks you.

    Hire Scaffolding

    ReplyDelete