There are trees along the USA/Mexican border that have been found with panties and bras thrown on them (google images of “rape trees” and you’ll see what I mean). Actually, they’re called “trees” but they look more like sagebrush.
Anyway, these trees are supposedly evidence of young Mexican women being raped by human coyotes who transport them illegally across the border. The macho Mexican smuggler-rapists apparently like to leave evidence of their manhood after they’ve done the deed.
Now, I’m a conservative, anti-illegal immigration guy…BUT, all this news smacks to me of propaganda. I mean, anyone can throw a bunch of panties on a bush and then blame it on a group of people.
Does anyone know of concrete proof that the activity about the “rape trees” is true? Anyone ever met any illegal aliens who’ve experienced it or seen it happen?
The propaganda nature of this news story reminds of the “Sgt. Shoe” news story in the movie, “Wag The Dog”.
I’m not sure why you’d find this unbelievable? You’re specifically out in the middle of nowhere, the person you’re raping isn’t going to have any recourse to find and punish you, and you’re in a position of power. I can’t admit to knowing anything about this in particular, but it strikes me as being more than plausible. I’d expect such a thing to be fairly common.
What, like Mexican coyotes have a stellar reputation to begin with? What would the point of anti-coyote propaganda be? If you’re anti-illegal-immigration, fine, but what does that have to do with the guys who usher them over? It’s not as if it’s any fault of the immigrants.
I don’t think anyone would go out to the middle of nowhere and throw panties on a bush for propaganda reasons. And anyway, a woman doesn’t have to cross the border to get raped (and killed). It’s been a constant horror on the Mexican side of the border for years.
It doesn’t seem at all implausible to me. Sex is frequently exacted as the price of a service like this–it shows up all over history. I have heard one or two oral testimonies from women victims on TV, but that probably doesn’t serve the OP’s purpose.
I have no problem believing it at all. The immigration routes through Central America and Mexico are extremely perilous as many of them are patrolled and controlled by gangs like the Mara Salvatruca, pretty much the baddest dudes you can possibly imagine.
I think the widespread talk of this is from the 2005 Documentary The Border - which was picked up the the Free Republic and other publications.
The only “not true” on the record voice I see is an ACLU guy:
*
that there is no proof that underwear hanging from trees is the result of girls being raped by coyotes.*link
That’s all I got on the OP. Tangentially I want to offer that whether or not the “Rape trees” stuff is true or lurid political exaggeration/fiction the Border Patrol thinks there 3-4 rapes a day o n the border
*
But officials at headquarters in Washington estimated that the Border Patrol receives reports on about three to four rapes a day of illegal immigrants along the 2,000-mile border - or 1,040 to 1,460 a year.
“These are just the reported rapes along both sides of the border made to our agents during interviews with those apprehended,” said Border Patrol spokeswoman Maria Valencia. "We don’t know about those we don’t apprehend. And for those we do, it’s very unusual for an illegal immigrant to report a sexual assault* cite
The OP is about advertising. It would seem to me that if coyotes routinely rape their female customers, advertising this fact would not be advantageous to them.
This article in the New York Times (from 2006) talks about migrants coming across Mexico’s southern border with Guatemala, and the hazards of their journey. It’s not the Mexican border we’re discussing, but apparently rape is a problem:
I don’t know about the garments on trees, but I do know someone who saw the raping of illegal immigrant women by the “coyotes,” people smugglers. The gentleman I know is an American citizen now, but he came to this country illegally years ago. Though his group did not contain any women, the group ahead of his crossing the border did. Before the women were allowed to cross, they were all raped.
I agree. I certainly won’t dispute that many women may be raped while crossing the border. But it seems unlikely that the rapists would leave the evidence on display for the next potential victim to see. A woman would have to be pretty wary if her guide suggested they take a break over by the tree with all the torn-up panties in it.
By the time they get to the tree its too late. Not like she has a choice anyway, that’s why it’s called rape.
This dosen’t seem to be that far out there as to be totally unbeleivable. Worst things happen on the way up, some people go missing and are never found, some are blantetly robbed and some are allowed to be caught by the border patrol so that they can spend more money to try again. The reason no one has hard physical evidence of “the tree” is most likely because this one particular group hasn’t been caught yet. Victums either have no idea where the crime happened or they are still fearful of gang retribution. Gangs leave markers of their activity all the time as a warning to others. They may be arrested next week, or maybe they will never be arrested.
I don’t see why. It’s not like the woman has a choice anyway; the likelihood that she will be raped on the way over the border is quite high, whether or not she’s next to a tree, and there’s nothing she can do about it. The whole point is that she’s powerless.
All you have to do is choose to go over the border a few hundred feet away the next time and odds are no one will see. Eventually wind and birds will carry everything away and you’re good to use the same spot again.
And quite likely it just doesn’t matter. A girl who realises she’s going to be raped isn’t any more capable of deflecting a bullet off her skin as one who doesn’t.
Last month’s National Geographic had an article about Guatemalans crossing the southern border of Mexico. The writer mentioned seeing trees with panties and bras on them. It was, apparently, common knowledge that the clothing came from women who had been raped by coyotes or by gangs that patrol the routes and take money and sex from immigrants.
The numbers of women raped by the coyotes or by other people in the groups are so high as to make it probable that a given women will be raped at some point during the journey.
I realize it might not be appropriate for the serious subject here, but I just can’t see this thread without thinking about that scene in The Evil Dead. I can’t possibly be alone here.
Not like she has a choice anyway, that’s why it’s called rape.