Warning: This article discusses rape.
Protests will be held across New Zealand on Thursday after a teenager was sentenced to home detention for raping four girls in the Bay of Plenty.
It was revealed this week the teenager, who raped four girls aged under 16, was sentenced to nine months of home detention.
The teen, now 18 years old, was 16 when he committed the attacks, Open Justice reported.
Speaking to AM about the sentence, victims' advocate Ruth Money said people were outraged at the way the justice system favoured rehabilitation over the wellbeing of victims.
"Sadly, it's not an anomaly," Money said of the Bay of Plenty case. "It's sadly common.
"It's absolutely heartbreaking and you'll see that's why people are uprising, that's why there is a peaceful protest because we don't have a balance at all - victims and their rights and their wellbeing are not being privileged. We are privileging the rights - the rehabilitation - of the young people who are incredibly violent."
Money said that was the wrong way to stop young people from re-offending.
"This is not a young person kicking over a mailbox," she told AM host Melissa Chan-Green. "The justice system response to sexual violence by young people is woeful - it has to have an immediate change."
Rehabilitation for young offenders was needed but not at the expense of victims, Money said.
"Nine months of home detention, at your house, playing Xbox is not rehabilitation and it absolutely does not help rehabilitate all of those people that he has harmed.
"These ladies have been caught in a justice system - bravely - for longer than these guys are sitting at home with a bracelet playing their Xbox. Something is very wrong."
Protests were being held in Mt Maunganui, Whanganui, Gisborne and Taupō on Thursday and Auckland and Wellington on Saturday.
Organiser Spencer McNeil told Newshub he was expecting a lot of people to attend.
"I've had thousands of messages about these silent protests we're holding, it's been overwhelming but we're expecting a big turnout at each."
McNeil said he was friends with the victims of the Bay of Plenty case. He said the protests were "to hold the justice system to account because they should be upping the consequences" for offenders in cases like this.
If you have witnessed or experienced sexual harassment or assault and would like to speak to someone, you could call the HELP support service.
- Auckland: (09) 623 1700 or visit helpauckland.org.nz
- Wellington: (04) 801 6655 or visit wellingtonhelp.org.nz
