It was September 2010 when a girl was raped while attending a rave in Pitt Meadows, British Columbia. As if that was not disturbing and tragic enough, almost immediately after the attack, images appeared on Facebook. A group of young males who witnessed the rape decided rather than assist they would film.

When I first blogged about this story Internet – Its Role in Victimization the sympathy for the young woman and her family was mixed with pure disgust that social media could be used in such a way. It was completely frustrating to know that despite the efforts of family and police, the swift reach of the Internet took away any hope of protecting her from further humiliation. So, here we sit February 2012 hearing the sentence of one of the teens who posted the sexual assault on Facebook. Originally charged with production and distribution of child pornography he plead guilty to a lesser charge and received 12 months probation for distributing obscene material. He must also write an essay on the Harmful Impact of Social Media; a pros and cons account of its use.

Is that enough? There is so much more to the acts he participated in that would not even be remotely acknowledged in such an essay. He failed to protect a human being from rape. Even if he felt that his own safety was at risk, or most likely his reputation would be tainted, nothing prevented him from removing himself from the scene and dialing 911 for help. The necessities of preserving her life and safety meant nothing. Instead this boy filmed and distributed the crime. Social media was the tool used to distribute something so perverse but subsequent to that is his detachment from that experience. His lack of respect and empathy really needs to be addressed.

However, it wasn’t only just his desensitization to her suffering. The entertainment factor depicted in the abuse and rape was played out that night in front of at least 12 other young men. They too were immune from impact and their collective code of silence speaks volumes to just how deep this case goes. As we go further down the rabbit hole, we see social media’s role > which is partnered with the Internet > which in itself has become a playground for pornographers. In an age when access to pornography and graphic images of the torture, rape and abuse of girls and women abound (even on mainstream TV) looking at an attack against a woman in real life, for some men, becomes nothing more than harmless amusement. A spectacle that one knows they shouldn’t be watching but can’t take their eyes away from.

If any essays were to be written, it may have been prudent to explore the harmful affects of pornography on our society with an additional sentence that dealt with the realities of rape and abuse against women and children. How about, sensitivity training and mandatory counselling to find out how he got to the point where he could be so far removed from feeling anything towards this girl. Countless images are downloaded every day that depict women and children in various situations of degradation. With Facebook and YouTube, acts of violence can be captured and preserved for the world to see. The young woman in this story lives with the fact that the crime against her, her image, remains out there in cyberspace. The social aspect of this media was and is being obscenely misused.

When this boy completes his essay I believe it should be placed up on a police Facebook page so that we as a society can judge whether he understood the full impact of his actions. Meanwhile,  two other males are about to face trial and sentencing in relation to this case. Colton Ashton McMorris is charge with sexual assault and is awaiting trial along with Dennis John Allen Warrington who is charged with making and distributing child pornography. All the others, who chose not to cooperate with the investigation remain at large. Hiding like cowards and most likely still believing that what transpired was “her fault”, not theirs.