PING – Hugo is at it again!
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Posted on 03/31/2006 2:33:51 PM PST by proud_yank
CARACAS, Venezuela - In the land of beauty queens, there seems to be little justice for women.
In 2001, Linda Loaiza Lopez, then 18, was tied up, tortured and raped repeatedly during a four-month captivity. In the aftermath, Lopez weathered nine surgeries to repair her damaged face and body, a legal process that went through the hands of 59 judges and six prosecutors, accusations of prostitution against her and a hunger strike to force a trial of her assailant.
But despite the evidence against the man, Luis Carrera, and suggestions that he may be a repeat offender, a judge dismissed charges of kidnapping and rape and convicted him of much lesser charges in March. Sentenced to six years in prison, and having already served four in pretrial detention, Carrera may soon be released on parole.
Venezuela has traditionally put a premium on women's physical appearance, with hundreds of beauty contests for even little girls, along with a booming plastic-surgery industry. But the high regard for women seemingly ends with how they look.
An estimated 12 women are raped daily - a rate twice that of the United States, as reported in 2003 - and at least one in 10 suffer physical abuse at the hands of their partner, according to academic studies on the subject.
What's more, nongovernmental groups tracking violence against women here estimate that only one in 10 victims of sexual abuse report it to authorities, and only one in 20 report physical violence.
''They don't report it because they don't believe in the justice system,'' said Odalis Caldera, the former head of the division of the national police that handles cases of violence against women. The division was created only in 1999.
Women also may not report the abuse out of fear of reprisals from their partners, of isolation from their families and of recrimination from their social circles, say experts and psychologists who work with battered women.
''The growing independence of women threatens the traditional (male) roles,'' said Carmen Barroso, the regional director of International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) in the Western Hemisphere. ``Men who aren't sure of themselves, who feel threatened, often deal with this through violence.''
The case of Lopez illustrates just how powerless women are in Venezuela.
Lopez says she came with her sister to Caracas from the state of Merida to finish her studies in agricultural trade school. She had been here only a month when she met Carrera, she told The Miami Herald.
Carrera had a history of abuse. Several of his girlfriends had complained to authorities, but Carrera was never prosecuted for reasons that aren't clear, said police detective Caldera.
Carrera kept Lopez captive in an apartment for four months, but she escaped when he left her untied one day and she dragged herself to a window to scream for help, the victim said. After being rescued by police, Lopez was found to be suffering from severe malnutrition, multiple skull fractures, cigarette burns and bruises all over her body and genital area, a nipple cut out, and her earlobes destroyed by the physical blows she had received.
Police arrested Carrera, but the legal case moved slowly. Judges and prosecutors passed on it again and again, in part, Lopez's advocates and Caldera say, because his father was the rector of a local university. In all, 59 judges, six prosecutors and three years passed with no trial.
The case eventually drew some media coverage in Venezuela, and many women's groups rallied behind Lopez's cause. And after she went on a 13-day hunger strike on the steps of a courthouse, a court date followed.
The first judge, however, found Carrera innocent for ''lack of evidence'' and asked prosecutors to open up a case against Lopez, her father and her sister for prostitution; the investigation against them remains open.
''The judicial system is not a simple thing. It's a monster,'' Lopez said.
After an appeal and a new trial, another judge found Carrera guilty of ''negligence'' and ''grievous bodily harm'' in March, dropping the rape and kidnapping charge, and sentencing him to six years.
The official sentence has not been made public yet and lawyers on both sides agreed to refrain from comment until that time. But the Venezuelan judicial system offers that Carrera, who had been in prison for four years during the trials and appeals, may appeal for parole after time served.
''This verdict is an outrage,'' IPPF's Barroso said of the last judge's sentence. ``It is an example of the immense difficulty faced by women all over the world when they seek justice in the face of violence and abuse.''
For her part, the now-23-year old Lopez seems resigned that justice will not be served.
But she will nevertheless soon file an appeal of Carrera's verdict.
''I'm afraid he will do this again to someone else,'' Lopez said.
She also remains firmly active in the fight to educate women on abuse and alter the system that wronged her. Lopez has started a foundation that helps treat victims and protect them while they wait for the justice system to take violence against women seriously.
She just hopes they don't have to wait as long as she has.
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THE LAWS AND ATTITUDES
_ Human Rights Watch says: Domestic and sexual violence against women happens in an estimated 40 percent of all households in Latin America; most legal systems in the region classify domestic violence as a misdemeanor; police, prosecutors and judges often consider it a 'private' matter; most governments do not offer shelters for those who file complaints against partners.
_ The International Planned Parenthood Federation says: Studies show that 32 percent of rural Nicaraguans, 19 percent of Brazilians, and 8 percent of Venezuelans say violence against women is acceptable if the husband suspects the wife of adultery; 10 percent of rural and 5 percent of urban Nicaraguans say it is acceptable if the wife refuses to have sex; 15 percent of urban and 25 percent of rural Nicaraguans say it is acceptable if the wife neglects the children, the home or both.
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ON THE WEB
http://www.justiceforlinda.org/
http://www.ippfwhr.org/programs/program(UNDERSCORE)gbv(UNDERSCORE)e.asp
http://www.hrw.org/women/overview-lac.html
I think there probably a whole lot of scarce things in Venequela. Truth, justice, food, freedom, jobs, money, etc., etc., etc.
About that pic with Carter, I rather think that Carter should be smooching Chavez's butt.
I really need to learn photoshop!
Check out what this rotten bastard did to Linda:
http://www.freechoicesaveslives.org/campaign/Linda/explanation
She's alive, but he worked her over something awful : (
Carter looks like he's starting to rot.
That is disgusting. Hang the scum bag.
I agree. Hanging him is too good, but look at the lightweight sentence he's getting! If that was my baby....
Just truly disgusting. OTOH, there are more than enough people in the US receiving far lighter sentences than they deserve.
I wonder if we can do something for her?
There are just some truly sick people in the world. As far as helping her, I suggest take out Chavez?
Well, his brain started to rot a long, long time ago.
And what is the the traditional male roles... beating up and abusing women? In what way would women's independence threaten males? What are they afraid of... women's independence or knowledge?
They got a rotten justice system that favors males. How else could anyone explain these little facts?...
_ Human Rights Watch says: Domestic and sexual violence against women happens in an estimated 40 percent of all households in Latin America; most legal systems in the region classify domestic violence as a misdemeanor; police, prosecutors and judges often consider it a 'private' matter; most governments do not offer shelters for those who file complaints against partners._ The International Planned Parenthood Federation says: Studies show that 32 percent of rural Nicaraguans, 19 percent of Brazilians, and 8 percent of Venezuelans say violence against women is acceptable if the husband suspects the wife of adultery; 10 percent of rural and 5 percent of urban Nicaraguans say it is acceptable if the wife refuses to have sex; 15 percent of urban and 25 percent of rural Nicaraguans say it is acceptable if the wife neglects the children, the home or both.
Maybe Pat Robertson is more intelligent than we gave him credit for?
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