Recent Canadian Public Policy Lenient on Rapists — Women And Children Suffering



Yes, Canada has a rape culture–women and children suffer. Ironically the Conservative [‘Tory’](Harper) government (2006-2015) despite its ‘tough on law-and-order’ platform was lenient on crimes against women and children. (PM Trudeau who followed Harper says he is a “Feminist”. We’ll see.)

 According to The Toronto Star‘s Antonia Zerbisias  “the Tories have systematically attacked women’s rights from the moment they got into power.”

Dozens of advocacy groups, including the RINJ Foundation and the Court Challenges Program, which helped women gain constitutional equality, have been defunded and in some cases dismantled.

Harper, in a closed door meeting with followers in 2009,  called those who sued for equal rights “left-wing fringe groups.”

(The RINJ Foundation is not a left-wing fringe group but more of a right of center on crime and punishment issues. )

When women spoke out, they were  warned to “shut the fuck up” by a Conservative senator.

The current Tory government shuttered 12 of 16 regional Status of Women offices and attacked pay equity for federal workers.

Three Conservative private members’ bills aimed at curtailing abortion rights all had Harper’s support. But then, Harper’s closest advisors had included social conservatives such as Guy Giorno and Darrel Reid, past president of Focus on the Family Canada.

There has been a concerted Tory effort to scrap the long-gun registry, ignoring women’s fears that the move will lead to spousal homicides.

Despite its allegedly tough law and order agenda, the Conservative government has not dealt with the more than 500 missing, and presumably dead, indigenous Canadian women.

The one and only sentence it dropped from the long-form census was that on unpaid work, effectively killing an effective measurement of how much women do in the home and as caregivers.

As for Harper’s line-up of Status of Women ministers — Bev Oda, Helena Guergis and Rona Ambrose, who dismissed the Liberal daycare strategy as something from “some old white guy” — nobody argues that they were strong advocates for women’s equality, despite their department’s counter mandate and the deaf ears around them in caucus.

Harper proposed a maternal health initiative in 2010 that did not include contraception, nor abortion. That despite the fact that hundreds of thousands of women die of maternity-related causes every year around the world, while another 70,000 die from illegal abortions.

RINJ Seeking Stiffer Sentences for Rapists

Culturally there may be two things at play here.

Tories favour strict law and order in the area of crimes against property and money, but crimes against women and children have a lesser significance.

1) Considering that the Tory government is largely eleted in the West of Canada, even recent studies have shown Western Canadians have a somewhat different attitude toward the role of women in everyday life. The female profeminist factor and the male as a male chivalry factor have diffferent skews in the west of Canada than in central and eastern Canada. (Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science/Revue canadienne des sciences du comportement, Vol 9(2), Apr 1977, 201-204.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA)

2) Historically and recently not as many Canadian women vote Tory,  as they do vote Liberal and NDP. Conservatives weakest NDP strongest  among women (July 2013 Environics – Darren Karasiuk ,  Environics Research Group Ltd. darren.karasiuk @environics.ca). Women voters are hardest for the Tories to reach and appeal to and are not likely to vote Conservative.

3) Tories seem to be stronger on law and order when money and property are at stake but in crime and punishment of offenders against women and children, the Tory record speaks for itself. Here are some same-day sentencing examples:

In Ottawa, Canada – Victor Fuentes, 54, was sentenced Tuesday August 14, 2012 to four years in prison by Ontario Court Justice Ann Alder for the crimes of rape and sodomy. (The RINJ Foundation’s Executive Director publicly said at that time, “This sentence is offensive to all Canadians and a danger to women and children.”)

Compared to same day in the USA

In Dothan, Alabama USAAugust 14, 2012 – Circuit Court Judge Kevin Moulton sentenced 25-year-old Mark Anthony Beecham, to 624 years in prison for first-degree kidnapping, two counts of first-degree rape and three counts of first-degree sodomy.

Yes, Canada has a rape culture.

Bob Tarantino, National Post | April 4, 2013 | 

The litany of trauma and carnage is united by a common theme: a continual lack of willingness to impose lengthy prison sentences on violent rapists.

Worse, sadistic, predatory rapists often have multiple points of contact with the courts and the corrections system.

In most of the cases… had the court system taken seriously its obligation to meaningfully punish and segregate violent sexual criminals, subsequent appalling crimes would not have taken place.

Examples of  Citizen’s Thoughts on Sentencing of Rapists in Canada:

For having terrorized and raped his daughter ten times over the course of slightly more than a year, for having videotaped and photographed those grotesque assaults for his later viewing pleasure, for having possessed hundreds of other images of violent child pornography, P.M. (order restricting publication of name [!!!] ) will spend significantly less than five years in prison.  – B. Tarantino

Prisons overflowing with mandatory minimum drug offenders (i.e., pot smoking cases) are letting sex offenders out early… ” J. Lake

“Unfortunately, many get less than a year for even multiple offences! Loving parents out there, we need to get on our government to protect our children! This crime is far to damaging and so prevalent. We NEED HEAVIER laws protecting our kids from sexual predators.” – concernedmom

Unbelievably too lenient. When the appeal against their sentences was announced I asked a question on them and the answers were unanimous, rare for me, everybody was in disbelief. They must have thought they’d won the lottery with those sentences… EM T

No they didn’t get the right sentences at all. Rape is a horrific crime anyway but what they did to this poor girl was monstrous. To give them 9 and 6 year sentences is pathetic, especially considering they will only serve half that. I’m glad this being reviewed, I hope they are kept inside for a lot longer – chipmunk

 

RINJ Hall Of Honour – USA Judges Handing out Tough Sentences for Rapists

Visit this RINJ FOundation page and learn about judges who have dealt firmly with rapists thus supporting the RINJ mission to make the promise of safety for women and children live up to its potential.

July 16, 2011 TAKOMA PARK, Md. (AP) – A man (Nathaniel Hart) who pleaded guilty to raping a female student in the bathroom of Montgomery College’s Takoma Park campus will spend 90 years in prison. Thank you Judge Eric M. Johnson!
Thank You Judge Eric Johnson

May 7, 2012 NY – A Manhattan state Supreme Court Justice Richard Carruthers has handed down three consecutive 25-year sentences to Ex-Cop Michael Pena (28) for a hideous, sudden sexual assault on a women headed to work.
Thank You Justice Richard Carruthers

Casper Wyoming, July 27, 2012 – Natrona County District Court Judge Thomas Sullins sentenced 48-year-old Perry Bruce to 40-50 years in Wyoming State Penitentiary. Perry Bruce raped a 13-year-old girl.
Thank you Judge Thomas Sullins

Dothan, Alabama – August 14, 2012 – Circuit Court Judge Kevin Moulton sentenced 25-year-old Mark Anthony Beecham, to 624 years in prison for first-degree kidnapping, two counts of first-degree rape and three counts of first-degree sodomy
Thank You Judge Kevin Moulton

Rockville, Maryland, August 17, 2012 – Montgomery County Judge Marielsa A. Bernard sentenced 45-year-old Fernando Asturizago to 128 years in prison. Fernando Asturizago repeatedly raped an 11-year-old girl. He is a suspect in the wrongful disappearance of her mother when the mother was attempting to contact police about the rape of her daughter. Fernando Asturizago was raping the victim’s daughter.
Thank You Judge Marielsa A. Bernard

Gaston County, North Carolina Jan 23, 2013 – Circuit Judge Derham Cole sentenced repeat offender Kenneth Lee Hilton, 50, who lived in Shelby at the time of his latest crimes to 45 years for kidnap and rape.
Thanks to Circuit Judge Derham Cole

Thank you Judge Susanne Fenstermacher for sentencing rapist Humberto Hernandez Salvador to 411 years in prison. He was sentenced on May 16, 2014 to 411 years and four months for his part in a notoriously evil and vicious gang rape of a Richmond District, San Francisco woman 12 days before Christmas 2008.
Thank you Judge Susanne Fenstermacher

Kevyn M. Jennings terrorized six women in south Kansas City MO and Grandview during a six-month crime spree in 2012 that included rape, sodomy, robbery and kidnapping. He has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for all his crimes.

Request your Private Link

Comparison_Judge_Calder_to_-Judge_Kevin_moulton