Teen who says she was raped speaks out after photos go viral
theGRIO REPORT - A brave 16-year-old rape victim has publicly revealed her identity after graphic photos of her sexual assault went viral on social networks...
HOUSTON, Texas — A brave 16-year-old rape victim has publicly revealed her identity after graphic photos of her sexual assault went viral on social networks.
Jada, who withheld her last name, claims in an emotional televised interview with KHOU that she was raped and drugged by people she considered to be friends.
Her alleged attackers then posted vile photographs and videos of the assault and bragged about it over social media sites.
“I had no control,” she said in the interview on Tuesday. “I didn’t tell anyone to take my clothes off and do what they did to me.”
Jada claims she was invited to a high school gathering at a friend’s home in June and offered a drink of punch, which she believed was spiked. She says she had no recollection of what happened until images of her semi-naked body started to surface.
Her peers shared the images with their cell phones.
Jada says she was shocked and embarrassed when online trolls started taking photos copying the position of her limp body — stripped from the waist down — with the hashtag #jadapose.
“Everybody knows,” said Jada. “And everybody’s texting me are you OK? You’re going to be OK, and I was like alright.”
She says she decided to speak out and show her face because she believes she has nothing to hide and wants her attackers to be caught.
“There’s no point in hiding,” she said. “Everybody has already seen my face and my body, but that’s not what I am and who I am.”
“No one’s daughter deserved this,” said Jada’s mother, who doesn’t want to be identified. “No human being deserved this.”
Many of the images that mocked and publicized Jada’s assault have since been removed, and many Internet users are jumping to the teen’s defense.
Jada has received an outpouring of support, with Twitter users expressing their solidarity with the hashtags: #IStandWithJada #JusticeforJada and #jadacounterpose.
Houston police are investigating the alleged attack.
Follow Kunbi Tinuoye on Twitter @Kunbiti.
