By Claude Mills, Staff ReporterTHERE IS growing concern about the jump in cases of rape and carnal abuse in Jamaica.
According to the police, young men between the ages of 16 and 25 are the main perpetrators of sexual violence against women, young girls and boys.
These teenagers and young adults "experience sexual urges that they don't have the social skills to control," said Sergeant Samuel Taylor of the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA). "They are the ones who commit these criminal sexual acts."
Since the start of the year, there have been 531 reported cases of rape, an increase of 46 over the figure of 485 for the corresponding period last year. There has also been an increase in carnal abuse figures with 220 cases reported as of July 24 as opposed to 178 for the corresponding period last year. Carnal abuse is genital contact between a male and female minor (under 16) with or without penetration and with or without consent of the female.
According to police statistics, 232 males under the age of 25 were arrested on rape charges in 2000, 249 were arrested in 2001, while 214 were arrested in 2002. These figures represent an average of 53 per cent of the total males arrested for rape in each year.
"This is a social crisis," said Dr. Glenda Simms of the Bureau of Women's Affairs. "This sort of behaviour is rooted in patriarchal
values. These men are not sick, they are driven by power, control and misogyny, a deep-seated hatred of women and girls," Dr. Simms said. "And it is not just the young men, a lot of older men are impregnating underage girls but they just have more money to cover it up, and to keep it hush, hush. They are not sick; to think that is to invite sympathy for the brutes."
However, psychologist Dr. Leachim Semaj disagrees with this assessment.
"These men are sick creatures. They are socially inept, and afraid to approach older women, so they try to gain proximity or access to younger women who won't rebuff their advances. They will indulge in deviant behaviour if given the opportunity."
WATCH OUT FOR YOUR GIRLS
"Behaviour is governed by consequence. If you are predisposed to being a thief, you are less likely to lapse into this sort of behaviour if a person's valuables are locked away. Accordingly, we have to minimise the opportunity of these sick men to carry out their deviant acts, hence you cannot leave your girl child unprotected," Dr. Semaj said.
Dr. Janet Brown of the Caribbean Child Development Centre declined to call the increase in rape and carnal abuse 'a crisis'. "It is worrisome that the figures show that there are still so many cases which have not been cleared up, but we need to ask ourselves why these young men are doing this. Are they not employed? Are they not in school? Why do they exercise their power in this way? The fact that they are preying on young girls is a sign of their immaturity."
Dr. Brown has done several research papers that examine gender roles in the family.
