The Editor, Sir:

Sexual rights are human rights. And females' sexual rights are being violated daily. We are outraged by the apparent spiralling pattern of gruesome violence against girls and women, such as the murder of a senior citizen and the brutal rape of a 12-year-old girl, an attack that resulted in the child's hospitalisation - two cases reported by the media on Sunday, October 14.

In fact, the news media repeatedly report horrifying incidents of sexual and domestic violence. And, at the Victim Support Unit, the largest category of cases involve sexual offences. Yet this is only the tip of the iceberg. The police as well as experts working in the field state that only a fraction of the real number of sexual violence cases are ever reported. Why? Because female survivors - and their families - often live in fear and dread of retaliation from their attacker or his cronies or family (in cases of domestic violence) if they should make a report.

They fear violence from spouses who consider them their 'property' to use, to 'discipline', to abuse. They fear the stigma of rape or 'battery' - for which they may be rejected and outcast. They fear being blamed for doing something to 'provoke' or 'deserve' the attack. They dread being forced to provide sex - that is, being raped - because males expect sex as a 'fair' exchange for money spent, even when spent on a child whom the adult male has a duty to care for. The girl fears being labelled 'force ripe' and 'sexually active' when, in fact, a male is sexually violating a child who, as a minor under 16, cannot legally consent to sex. The woman fears ridicule and intimidation from daily sexual harassment on the street, at work, in public spaces, from those who dismiss harassment as our 'culture'.

How is it possible for this epidemic of sexual violence to continue, when we have laws against sexual offences? It is possible because the sexual rights of females are not recognised. Because female sexuality is seen as a commodity, and some men feel that being male gives them a right to female bodies. Because sexual violence against women and girls is primarily about males exercising power over females in order to maintain dominance over them. Sexual violence is how some males, regardless of their age, religion or social class, express their need to undermine, isolate, degrade females in order to maintain a sense of power and control.

'Manship'

It is high time to question the way that 'manship' is equated with power, force and sexual aggression. We need to question how sexual bullying permeates schools, workplaces, public spaces and institutions, communities, media and popular culture, and most harmfully, woman-man relations in the homes where children learn what they see. We need to question how we use and abuse power in our society. The abuse of power and escalating violence damage women and men alike. No one who is devastated by violence or threats can function normally, nor can they contribute to the home or the economy.

For the benefit of our children and our women, their partners, and our society as a whole, we must recognise that women and girls have sexual rights. And these rights are an integral part of their human rights.

I am, etc.,

HILARY NICHOLSON

Women's Media Watch Jamaica

14 South Avenue, Kingston 10