Much of the nation was in shock when Meghan Williams, then a 20-year-old Black woman from West Virginia was gang raped and tortured by seven whites.

She said she was made to drink water from a toilet and had her hair pulled out from the roots.

Civil rights leaders called for swift action. Prosecutors quickly jumped into action as six people are in jail for their crimes. Too bad that they’re innocent.

Williams said she made the story up to get back at her abusive boyfriend.

To be fair prosecutors said other evidence, than Williams testimony led to their convictions.

Two Liberian Boys Charged in Girl’s Rape Remain Detained
The two youngest boys charged in the rape last month of an eight-year-old Liberian girl were ordered Wednesday to remain in juvenile detention with restricted visitors, as Liberia’s deputy ambassador to the U.S. arrived in town hoping to speak to them, The Sydney Morning Herald reports. At separate hearings during which one of the young defendants openly wept, judges ordered that no one be allowed to interview the nine-year-old boys without the permission of their lawyers, court-appointed advocates and Child Protective Services. Both lawyers indicated they would advise the boys not to speak to the deputy ambassador, Edwin Sele, who arrived in Phoenix on Wednesday afternoon for a weeklong fact-finding mission and to help dispel notions that rape is condoned in the West African country. He said during a news conference that he still hopes to interview the four boys despite the hurdles ahead of him. “I’m sure we can speak to CPS and find ways to do this legally,” said Sele, who was asked to visit Phoenix by Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Sele said he wants the boys to know that being innocent until proven guilty is a hallmark of the U.S. justice system and that he also wants to meet with the eight-year-old girl to tell her that all Liberians extend their love to her. The rape case drew international attention last month after police reported the alleged victim’s parents said they were ashamed of the girl and didn’t want her back — a contention later disputed by the family’s pastor. The girl remains in custody of Child Protective Services. During the alleged July 16 attack, police say the nine-year-old boys and two teenagers lured the girl to an empty storage shed with the promise of chewing gum, restrained her and took turns raping her. A 14-year-old has been charged as an adult, and prosecutors are seeking to charge a 13-year-old as an adult, as well. One of the nine-year-old boys, whose ankles and wrists were shackled during Wednesday’s hearing, slouched in his oversized chair and was expressionless until Judge Aimee Anderson spoke directly to him. “I will tell you I’m very proud of you for being back there and working so hard,” she said as she held up a certificate that his juvenile facility had given him for good behavior. “I know it’s not easy and pretty hard to make friends in there … Hang in there, okay?”

Child Shoplifter Held In Dallas Jail for Two Weeks As Adult
A 13-year-old girl arrested for shoplifting was held in the Dallas County Jail for nearly two weeks before it was determined that she is underage, a police sergeant said Thursday. An internal affairs investigation has been launched to review the matter, police Sgt. Warren Mitchell told The Associated Press on Thursday night. The girl, who had run away from home, was arrested July 10 at a Target department store for shoplifting. She held no identification and gave a false name and age, Mitchell said. The sergeant said the arresting officer attempted to contact the police youth division to confirm the information but found no record of her. The arresting officer assumed she was 17 and took her to jail, Mitchell said, but did not say how he made that assumption. The girl was released from custody July 23 after appearing before a judge and is again listed as a runaway. Meanwhile, an inmate, an acquaintance of the girl’s family who had recognized her, phoned her father, who came to police with a birth certificate and other records verifying her real identity and age. Mitchell declined to discuss the case further, pending the investigation.

A woman reported she was raped at a party at the Buford home of Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Harry Douglas, Gwinnett police said.

A young woman reported being raped at the Atlanta-area home of Falcons wide receiver Harry Douglas, police said Thursday, noting that the NFL player is not a suspect in the case. The woman, in her 20s, told investigators that she had gone to a party at Douglas’ home on Wednesday night, got tired and fell asleep in one of the bedrooms. “She was then awoken by a male who was sexually assaulting her,” according to a statement from the Gwinnett (Ga.) Police Department. Read the rest.

Two African Nations See Meningitis Outbreak
A meningitis outbreak in Niger and Nigeria has killed more than 200 people just in the last week, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Nigeria’s WHO spokesman, Dr. Olaokun Soyinka, told CNN that the epidemic started in January and that the spread of the disease is highest during the country’s dry season, which ends in May. During the first three months of the year, the nations have seen almost 25,000 suspected meningitis cases and more than 1,500 deaths, reports the health organization. Other African nations, however, have seen less than 50 cases a week on average, reports CNN . Since the Niger and Nigeria are experiencing a lack of vaccines, health officials have turned to “effective prevention,” where they’ll just vaccinate those who are in and around regions experiencing an outbreak, Soyinka said. Meningitis is a condition where the membranes that protect the brain and spinal cord are inflamed. The inflammation could be caused by viruses or bacteria. This kind of meningitis, Neisseria meningitidis, is very dangerous because of its ability to transform into an epidemic.  

Rape and Incest Case Stuns Colombians

The case involving Colombian Arcebio Alvarez, a 59-year-old man accused of raping his daughter several times and having eight children with her, has shocked the South American nation. Alvarez, whom local media refer to as the “monster of Mariquita” is so hated, he needs protection from the army and police for his court appearance, reports the BBC. He denies any wrongdoing, and in fact, claims his daughter was adopted. “We agreed to have a romantic relationship because we really loved each other,” he told the court. Read the rest.

Timothy Cole never lived to see his freedom or his good name restored, but on Friday a judge reversed his conviction for a rape he had sworn he never did. A decade ago, Cole died in a Texas prison, having been convicted and sentenced to 25 years for the 1985 rape of 20-year-old Michele Mallin. His innocence was not confirmed by DNA until years after he died in 1999, when Jerry Johnson, the true rapist, confessed. On Friday, the now 44-year-old Mallin confronted Johnson in court. “What you did to me, you had no right to do,” she vented. “You’ve got no right to do that to any woman. I am the one with the power now, buddy.” Read more here.

 A Georgia teen convicted of nine burglaries and the rape of a 15-year-old girl was sentenced to life in prison plus 110 years. Darrian Bryant was a 17-year-old Parkview High School student when he was arrested for the crimes two years ago. Read more here.

 Former NFL running back David Meggett has been arrested on charges that he raped a South Carolina woman because she owed him $200, The Associated Press reports. The woman, who was not identified because she is allegedly the victim of a sexual assault, says that when she woke up at about 1 a.m. Tuesday, she found Meggett, a man she knew as “Mike,” sitting on her bed, according to AP. He demanded that she repay $200 she owed him and raped her when she said she didn’t have the money, she said. Read the rest here.

Congo Doctor is ‘African of the Year’ Dr. Denis Mukwege, who operates a clinic treating rape victims in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been named “African of the Year” by a Nigerian newspaper. He says his award of $20,000 will be put toward funding a center to help rape victims come back into their societies, reports the BBC. In the conflict-ridden Congo, all of the warring sides have “declared women their common enemy,” Mukwege said.  His clinic, the Panzi hospital, assists women who’ve been raped with both physical and psychological injuries, including some who have contracted HIV from their attackers. “I am pleased to accept this award if it will highlight the situation of women in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo,” he told the BBC after accepting the award at a ceremony in Nigeria. This is the newspaper’s first African of the Year award. Former Tanzanian leader, Salim Ahmed Salim, was on the newspaper’s selection panel. “This is a person who has been involved in the protection of women under difficult circumstances, often at the risk of his own life,” he told the BBC. Mukwege was also given the Olof Palme prize for outstanding achievement in promoting peace.
Zimbabwe’s Cholera Deaths Near 2,000 The death toll from Zimbabwe’s cholera epidemic has reached 1,937, reports CNN. The outbreak of the water-borne disease started in August, and since then almost 40,000 people have been become infected by the illness, according to the World Health Organization. The spread of cholera is preventable, and some health experts blame the Zimbabwean government, led by controversial longtime President Robert Mugabe. The spread of the epidemic, they say, is mainly due to the failure to import enough water-cleansing chemicals. Many residents have had to get drinking water from rivers and wells because the water taps are dry; the nation’s trash-disposing systems aren’t operating. These factors serve only to worsen the situation, as it keeps many from having access to clean water. After Mugabe declared the epidemic a national emergency last month, worldwide charities such as WHO, Oxfam, USAID as well as some foreign governments have tried to help with the situation but there has been little improvement in that span of time.

Nigeria gets antidote for baby poison. After Nigerian babies died from taking tainted teething syrup, medical officials flew in 100 doses of an antidote, reports the BBC. The syrup, called “My Pikin,” has caused at least 34 children to die from kidney failure. Some insist the number could be higher since not all parents can take their children to the hospital. Authorities have taken 425 bottles of the syrup from stores Nov. 21, just a couple of days after getting reports it might by tainted. The syrup contained diethylene glycol, a toxic ingredient used in engine coolant. The syrup manufacturer has since been shut down by the government. The antidote is being flown in from the United Kingdom and should arrive in Nigeria by Thursday.

Haiti must protect girls, rights group says. The government of Haiti should do more to protect the safety and wellbeing of girls, according to a report by the human rights group Amnesty International, reports the BBC. The Caribbean island nation (the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere) has many problems, including hunger, governmental instability and crime. “[Haiti's government] is trying to strengthen development, good governance and the rule of law – none of which could be fully achieved without the protection of girls’ and women’s rights,” Gerardo Ducos, Amnesty’s Caribbean researcher said. According to the report, titled “Don’t turn your back on girls: Sexual violence against girls in Haiti,” the country doesn’t have any laws on the books specifically against domestic violence. Within the first half of this year (between January and June) there were 105 reported rapes, with more than half of the victims under 18, the report says. The problem could be worse, since the county are short of figures, it says. The Minors’ Protection Brigade, the unit in charge of safeguarding youngsters, is “woefully understaffed.” The report also described the justice system as being “weak and largely ineffectual” in its response to the crimes. “Sexual violence against girls, particularly rape, is pervasive in Haiti, and it can no longer be ignored,” Ducos said.

Jamaica will keep the death penalty. On Tuesday, the Jamaican Parliament voted against banning the death penalty, reports The Associated Press. The measure was rejected with no problem; 34 parliament members voted to keep capital punishment and 15 voted against it. Even though the death penalty has been legal in the Caribbean island nation, the courts haven’t used the punishment, so the last execution in the country was about 20 years ago. But recently, with Jamaica’s soaring crime rate and an increase of crime against children (including the disturbing cases of a girl who was beheaded and a boy whose body was found cut up in a trash can), many people have demanded that courts start condemning people to death penalty again. Prime Minister Bruce Golding promised to resume death-penalty sentencing as a means to slow the nation’s crime rate, which is among the highest in the world. But people against it say the death penalty won’t do much to fight crime. “What has happened that will change the circumstance of one murder? It’s a complete waste of time; we should be focused on apprehending people who commit crimes, getting them before the courts and the courts ruling expeditiously on those matters,” the director for Jamaicans For Justice said. The island, with a population of 3 million people, already has had 1,240 murders so far this year, coming close to last year’s total of 1,400. In comparison, Chicago, which has a population of about 2.8 million had 443 murders in 2007.
Rapes are up in the Congo. Rapes are on the rise in the conflict-ridden Democratic Republic of Congo, says aid organization World Vision. The fighting between the government and rebels also has made it more likely for children to be recruited as soldiers, the group says. “A silent war has been waged against women and children. Women and girls in the hundreds have been targets of opportunistic and brutal rape, while children are also being targeted for recruitment or re-recruitment as child soldiers,” World Vision’s Africa advocacy director told CNN. The group took a survey of children at six refugee camps in the nation and found that 120 girls under 17 said they had been raped in October. Only five children reported rape in April and June, the group says. Fighting in the nation has forced about 250,000 people to leave their homes. The United Nations is set to send more than 3,000 more troops into the nation in the coming weeks to help the peacekeeping force currently there.