The Houston gang rapes

The 1993 rape and murder of 16-year-old Elizabeth Pena and 14-year-old Jennifer Ertman is considered the most vicious gang rape in Houston, Texas' history.

On the night of the attack, the two girls were trying to make it home before an 11:30 curfew. The shortcut they took over a railroad bridge brought them face-to-face with a gang drinking beer and initiating a new member.

Pena and Ertman were grabbed and gang raped for an hour before they were murdered. Authorities were led to their bodies through a tip and a call to the police by a brother of one of the gang members who had boasted about what they had done with the girls.

According to CBS News, “Of the six people convicted…five were sentenced to death.”

Cyber bullying ends in suicide

Rehtaeh Parsons’ suicide that was a result of cyber bullying earlier this year sparked international attention. The 17-year-old Canadian was allegedly gang raped two years before her death and photos from that night had been splattered across social media, prompting incessant harassment from her peers.

According to Huffington Post, two of the boys connected with the event are being charged with child pornography charges. 

5-year-old raped in India

A five-year-old girl died last April in India after being lured to a farm by one man and raped by another. She fell into a coma after the men attempted to stifle her cries and never regained consciousness. She passed away from cardiac arrest two days later. 

According to the Washington Times, the two men involved were arrested and subsequently charged with the crime. She was the second five-year-old rape victim in India within a few weeks. 

Ukrainian woman raped by three

Oksana Makar, an 18-year-old Ukrainian, was raped March 8, 2012 by three men. After sexually assaulting her, the men attempted to strangle her and then set her body on fire. She was found by a construction site alive and still alright. Makar later died from the injuries she sustained.

According to the BBC, Local authorities caught the three men involved, however two of the three, who were well connected in the area, were released with no charges. After a national outcry, the two released men were re-arrested and charged with premeditated rape and murder. 

The Delhi Bus Rape

India and the world were horrified over the gang rape of a 23-year-old woman on a bus last December. According to a report by CNN, she was accompanied by a male friend who was beaten and left unable to help her as six men including the driver attacked her.

He told reporters that the men beat his friend and used an iron bar in the sexual assault. They drove the couple through the city for nearly two hours before finally dropping them off beneath an overpass. The man suffered a broken leg and could not stand. It was about 25 minutes before they were finally able to get help. The young woman died two weeks later from internal injuries.

Now, the fate of those accused of this crime dangles in the eyes of the world with several calling for the death penalty. According to a New York Times article, “In a rush of emotion, the Indian government amended the criminal code so that the death penalty could be applied in particularly brutal cases of rape.” The sentencing in this case will test the judicial system of India, which has only passed the death sentence down to three people in nine years.