Girls routintely jailed to make them testify against violent men
April 14, 2008

We thoroughly appreciate that Ms. Blatchford has written an article so ignorant of any understanding of violence against girls and women.  We now have the chance to tell readers about our experiences working with girls who are testifying against abusive men.  We have watched over 5 years of court cases in which adult men were charged with brutal sexual assaults, murder, sexual exploitation, and other violence.  We have seen girls jailed in order to make them testify against violent men.  In one such case in small town BC, a man accused of rape and sexual exploitation of several girls, including raping a fourteen year old girl with an umbrella, sat, dressed in his own clothes, watching as his girl victim testified in prisoner garb. I sat with her in cells while she ate her lunch which she had to struggle to hold in her hands because her wrists (and ankles) were shackled.  He was free while she was jailed to testify.  In the end, he was found guilty of one count of sexual exploitation and not sentenced to a single day of jail.  I sincerely appreciate that Ms.Blatchford’s article has given me the opportunity to share what girls who experience violence have to go through when they testify in court.

Asia Czapska
Justice for Girls