Betty Ann Blaine, Contributor
THE SERIOUS problem of rape in our society, and the vulnerability of our women and girls is documented in the latest police statistics which show that, while there have been declines in other major crimes, rape and carnal abuse have been trending up.
The blatant reality is that we now live in a society where anything goes, and where the moral measuring stick is being lowered every single day, before our very eyes. Children are abused every day with no consequences; the most unlawful and indisciplined acts are being perpetrated on our streets every day without consequences, and women and young girls are being raped every day without consequences. What's to stop anybody?
We live in a country where certain communities are self-governing, operating on their own values and standards, setting their own laws, and dispensing their own versions of justice. Within these communities, increasing acts of rape and other forms of sexual violence are occurring every day, and depending on who does it, the victimiser can either be subjected to severe punishment, or can walk the streets an absolutely free man. Rape has become so commonplace now that many of our men and boys see it simply as sex. In other words, there is nothing wrong in forcing a woman or girl into a sexual act - it's only sex. And there seems to be no consideration of age.
PREGNANT ADOLESCENTS
In fact, the talk in some circles is, the younger the better, and that doesn't exclude very small children. What is absolutely distressing is that fewer and fewer cases are being reported, in some instances because the crime is committed by family members, but mainly out of fear. The head of one rape investigation centre, admitted that these days what she is seeing in front of her, are pregnant adolescents who are fearful of naming the perpetrators. There is a signal being sent up and down and around the society that it is okay to touch, molest and rape our women and girls. Schoolgirls complain that they can't walk to school without men wanting to touch them. On the buses the 'ductors' ability to touch and fondle, ostensibly to move people into buses, is blatant and unbridled. There is a sense of fear, helplessness and powerlessness that our small children are expressing, but who's listening?
I'll never forget that as a schoolgirl in the late 60s, a man riding a bicycle came up behind me and pushed his hand underneath my uniform. I ran and wept all the way home, and to this day I have never been able to shake it out of my consciousness. Of course, my mother who feared no one, grabbed her machete and combed the streets looking for the man. She never found him, and when she came back I could see in her eyes a feeling of helplessness that she wasn't able to protect her child.
I know that many mothers are feeling this type of pain. Not even in our schools and Places of Safety are our children immune from sexual violence, and instead of seeking help and working to build strong coalitions to fight the monster, there is a growing trend to cover it up. To add insult to injury, victims of rape are further victimised by the judicial process which is lengthy and oftentimes insensitive. Cases can take over a year, one expert lamented, and during that time the victim has to be constantly in counselling to prevent even more serious and long-lasting emotional damage.
The other difficulty is the fact that victims must tell what happened at least two, sometimes at three different court hearings. This is not easy for rape victims, especially if the statements differ, and a sharp lawyer can use that to secure a dismissal or a not-guilty verdict. It is little wonder why so much rape and incest go unreported.
Our system has a way of victimising the victims. Every human being has the fundamental right to personal security, and freedom from personal violation. So many of our people, particularly women and children do not enjoy this right. The lack of national attention and outrage to the gravity of sexual crimes has created an atmosphere where many people feel that rape is part of the lot of women. Many perpetrators feel that the power to have forced sex is part of their right as men. All of this undermines our common humanity and the efforts that are needed for men and women to be equal partners in the building of a better Jamaica.
In fighting back, near the end of last year a group of non-governmental organisations called the Women's Manifesto Committee 2002, drafted and presented a list of recommendations to the political parties. Some of them are:
Immediately introduce a state-funded public education programme aimed at preventing rape and sexual crimes;
Immediately establish an emergency phone line direct to the police, similar to Crime Stop, where persons confidentially report threats and crimes of sexual violence against themselves and others;
Within two years, establish a network of 16 shelters (one in each parish and two in the Kingston Metropolitan Area) to provide for victims and persons threatened with crimes of sexual violence.
Give urgent attention to the implementation of the new Broadcasting Code and take other measures to protect citizens including children from harmful media portrayals of violence, sex and gender stereotypes.
I have a feeling that this document is gathering dust somewhere, but we must continue to fight back.
Betty Ann Blaine is a member of The Victorious Movement of Jesus in Jamaica, an historian and founder of Youth Opportunities Unlimited. E-mail: bab2609@hotmail.com
