Cases of Rape Reported in Le Nouvelliste

Claude Bernard Sérant wrote in the January 10, 2008 Le Nouvelliste article "Main basse sur l'innocence,"From October 2006 to October 2007, 1449 cases of violence agianst women and girls were received in the office of West County Department for Women and Women's Rights. Since August 2005, Article 278 of the Penal Code now read as follows: Whoever commits the crime of rape, or is guilty of any sexual assault or attempt at violence, threat, surprise, or psychological pressure against the person one or the other sex, shall be punished by ten years hard labor." Virginia, who was raped in 2003 when she was thirteen, wishes that the law had retroactive power. Her rapist received much less punishment than he would today. "Virginia said that if she was thirteen now, she would have procured a medical certificate and would file a complaint against his attackers. These fall under Article 3 of the decree: If the crime committed against a child under the age of fifteen, the offender will be punished by fifteen years hard labor." (1)

Here's an example of the law's function in society:  "Audience criminelles sans assistance de jury," printed in Le Nouvelliste on April 23, 2008. "Marc Orel Joly was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for raping a minor of 11 years, under Articles 2 and 3 of the Decree of August 11, 2005." (2)

(1) Sérant, Claude Bernard. "Main basse sur l'innocence." Le Nouvelliste. N.p., 10 Jan 2008. Web. 29 Nov 2010. <http://www.lenouvelliste.com/article.php?PubID=&ArticleID=52924>.  

(2) " Audiences criminelles sans assistance de jury." Le Nouvelliste. N.p., 23 Apr 2008. Web. 29 Nov 2010. <http://www.lenouvelliste.com/article.php?PubID=&ArticleID=56784>.