Kenya: A Night of Madness

Sometimes it takes a tragedy to startle people from the complacency of old -- and destructive -- attitudes. On July 13, Kenyans received such a shock, when 271 teenage girls were attacked during a rampage by dozens of their male classmates at St. Kizito, a boarding school in central Kenya. Chased into a corner of the dormitory where they were trying to hide, 19 girls died of suffocation in the crush. Doctors say another 71 were raped. Last week 29 boys ages 14 to 18 were charged with manslaughter; two were also charged with rape.

The assaults were rendered all the more chilling because of the dismissive note struck by some officials. The Kenya Times quoted Joyce Kithira, the school's deputy principal, as saying, "The boys never meant any harm against - the girls. They just wanted to rape." The episode is forcing Kenyans to reexamine attitudes that have long permitted rape to be a part of many girls' school years.