Story on Oprah: Cradle Rape

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I watched Oprah today and I've never felt more disgusted or ill in my life, hearing about babies that are being raped in South Africa by grown, AIDS infested 'men' who have been told that if they have sex or 'lay with a child' that the purity of the virgin child will cause the AIDS to go away.

Have any of you ever heard a more sickening thing? They told of a 8 month old........8 MONTHS OLD......that had been savagely gang rapes and cut. The baby was found abandoned and was rushed to the hospital. The injuries so severe, that even the ER doc's cried. AMAZING TO ALL, that precious little miracle lived!! She was adopted by an amazing lady and the baby, now 2 is healthy, loving, and doing well.

My heart is so heavy with this horrafic thing that is going on.

As nurses, what could we do? I don't know how I would even react if I had to treat a patient like this. Would my emotions consume me? Could I be partial?? Oprah said that the country is ashamed. I GUESS SO!! What could our country, our medical society do to help stop this?? Any suggestions??

I watched the show today also. It is so sickening that this is happing and so many people know about it. The fact that the punishment was so minimal that is makes me want to puke!!!!!!!! We can do something! How about we all write Oprah back asking for her guidance of what we might be able to do, to actually make an impression. I know that there are houndreds if not thousands that post on this site. Make a pledge that you will write and if we all come together we CAN do something. So I'm going right now to the web site to express my concern... NO BABIES BE HARMED!!!!!!! Please join in the effort.

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My oldest son is in Africa right now . . .hopefully asleep. I just got through reading the last few days events as his group left the orphanage and traveled 6 hours into a more isolated area. Stayed in a mud hut . .the husband and wife insisted that the group stay in their hut and moved out. It has been an amazing two weeks for my son and for his worried mother. Then I come on here and read about this atrocity. Some of the kids in the orphanage are orphans because of AIDS. One of the girls has syphyllis - she is five years old and adorable. In the remote village the nurses set up a makeshift clinic and saw one child about 2 or 3 who was in pain and could not stand. The mother had taken her to a witchdoctor and there was a red thread around the child's wrist signifying some kind of cure. Nonetheless the child is still in pain. The nurses talked to the mom and convinced her to remove the thread. They are trying to find the cause of the illness. And they asked that we pray specifically for this little girl. She has been in my thoughts since then . . .

Such torment for children. It is heartbreaking.

steph

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Thanks to those of you who shared and will share your thoughts on this very serious subject. My uncle is a missionary who travels to Africa a couple of times each year. I will update him on this and I am sure he will make a point to get the work out that this is a sick and very wrong thing!

To think that there are 'men' in this crazy world that would believe such a asynine tale.......all these men have something in common.......they are all going to die soon and I truly believe that there is a 'special' part of hell for men/women who abuse children. I just hope and pray that their 'you-know-what' rots and falls off!! :angryfire

Let us keep this new fight alive by our love for these helpless little angels and by our total disgust and hatred for this crime. I will be sharing this at work tomorrow and I too will contact Oprah and see what else we can do.

God Bless all of you wonderful, compasionate nurses!

Pray for the children, hug the children by hugging your own.

Nanna

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I missed the part about the babies but saw the girl who was forced to be a soldier that broke my heart they said over 300,000 children are forced to be soldiers and they have to smile as they kill or they will be killed.....I hope to catch the whole show again. Hope Oprah will get on the band wagon about this Don't understand why people have to be so cruel to their fellow man. Don't understand how you can become that cruel and heartless Makes me sick

THANK GOD EVERYDAY TO BE AN AMERICAN.....GOD BLESS AMERICA

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i did write the Peace Corps tonight, asking why no one is trying to dispel these horrific myths.....i will also research further to see what others are doing or what the obstacles are.

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Specializes in Case Mgmt; Mat/Child, Critical Care.

OMG! How horrific! I have no words, just want to express my horror and disgust! I too, wish there was a way for us to unite and help....whatever needs to be done....

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This puts a new spin on my College Composition professors thoughts that AIDS might be a good thing, because of overpopulation (though he does believe it is a personal tragedy). I wonder what he'll have to say about this. Just absolutely disgusting to me! This thread really makes me want to throttle something!

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Specializes in HIV/AIDS, Dementia, Psych.

That's one episode of Oprah I'm glad I missed...sickening! :angryfire

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
This puts a new spin on my College Composition professors thoughts that AIDS might be a good thing, because of overpopulation (though he does believe it is a personal tragedy). I wonder what he'll have to say about this. Just absolutely disgusting to me! This thread really makes me want to throttle something!

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT? "AIDS A GOOD THING"??? Umm what kind of sick psycho is this person? He has no business teaching anything. I bet his tune would change if someone near and dear to HIM were afflicted w/HIV or AIDS! I can hardly believe my eyes..."population control"????? As if famine, starvation, natural disasters, war and other diseases dont' do a good enough job of that!!!! SICK SICK SICK ---I am off to take a hot bath, I am real keyed up after reading this post. :angryfire :angryfire

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Specializes in Long-term care, wound care.

I did not catch this show today. Thank godness! I would not have been able to take it.

The men that do these things are not men- they are Monsters. I don't care if they believed that doing these horrible things would cure them. A grown man knows better. Just sickening. I can't even begin to imagine what those poor little babies had to go through. I also would like to know where the parents were. I know as a parent when I look into my little boys eyes so full of innocence it just overwelms my heart with so much joy and love that all I ever want to do is protect him. I cannot even say what I would do if someone did this to my child. I am glad that the little girl is doing well now. I will say a prayer for her that she never remembers what happened to her as a baby.

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Although I missed the show today, I do know about this issue. I was in South Africa back in 1996. There is no doubt that what is happening to young girls in South Africa is horrific. What I think we need to do is recognize where this behaviour is coming from....from what I understand this is not a pedophilia thing...these are people desperate to be rid of the HIV virus and there is a widespread belief/myth in the country that "having sex" with a virgin will rid you of the disease and save your life. There are two key potential solutions here... the first is EDUCATION...and the second is to make pharmaceuticals available to the people who need them... the reason pharmaceutical companies aren't over there doing more to help is because there is no money in it for them. people can't get meds to help them and they get desperate in horrific ways...this is one of the worst tragedies of all.... we are losing a whole generation of africans to this disease and the world has basically stuck their head in the sand...

re the issue of "men" raping children. I worked for CFS in canada for a short time (although it felt like way too long)..that is the equivalent of DSS in the states...and I did care for infants and toddlers who were the victims of sexual abuse...in the pedophilia sense of the term...it was heartwrenching... an incident involving a baby is why I left the job.. just too much to take in day after day.....

i read once that in north america 1 in 4 women and girls will be sexually abused in their life time... could you imagine on a world wide scale?.... food for thought.. glad this issue is being talked about...

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I did not catch this show today. Thank godness! I would not have been able to take it.

The men that do these things are not men- they are Monsters. I don't care if they believed that doing these horrible things would cure them. A grown man knows better. Just sickening. I can't even begin to imagine what those poor little babies had to go through. I also would like to know where the parents were. I know as a parent when I look into my little boys eyes so full of innocence it just overwelms my heart with so much joy and love that all I ever want to do is protect him. I cannot even say what I would do if someone did this to my child. I am glad that the little girl is doing well now. I will say a prayer for her that she never remembers what happened to her as a baby.

The mother is a prostitute and addicted to drugs and alcohol. The men that gang raped the 5 month old cut her from lady parts to rectum. She wore a colostomy for awhile. They didn't say if she had it reversed or not. Her internal organs were so damaged they weren't sure what they were sewing up. It is so unbelievably horrific.

I am sure some of it is ignorance. But that is still no excuse to harm a child. I mean, for a grown man to believe that having sex with a baby will cure them is not even rational. The best part of her ordeal is that she is negative for HIV/AIDS.

The Iraqi Extremist people would like to behead someone. I can think of a group of people who need their heads cut off for what they have done. Both heads. Starting with the small one first. So they can feel some of the agony they put those babies through. :angryfire

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