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The price of sexual abuse

The extent of sexual immorality in a country could be considered a strong pointer to its level of moral health. A culture could be said to be in a moribund state if sexual permissiveness is high and child sexual abuse in particular could be taken as strong proof of civilizational decline.

We are given to these ruminations on considering our front page news report yesterday on sexual abuse of girls and other perversions including incest and rape, sometimes involving close kith and kin of the victims, such as fathers, grandfathers and step-fathers.

While the prevalence of these forms of sexual abuse point to a steep moral decline in this land which is so replete with religious institutions of numerous identities, that one comes across one of these buildings virtually on every half a kilometre stretch in urban areas, the pace at which this moral rot has been setting in is a matter of controversy. For instance, there are those who contend that sexual misdemeanours and perversions of the kind featured in our news report have always been prevalent in Lankan society as an ill-concealed secret.

However, what has changed according to them, is the frequency of exposure and the willingness of those affected to bring the ills out into the open, for the attention of the concerned authorities. In other words, these immoralities are now more openly spoken of and brought to light.

While making definitive pronouncements on these issues may prove hazardous in the absence of hard evidence, the concerned public is likely to be outraged by these "moral shockers".

While it is only a cultivated conscience which could prevent a person from taking sexual advantage of vulnerable groups, such as young girls and boys, war widows and orphans, and the mentally and physically disabled, conditions in contemporary society which could facilitate the occurrence of these forms of sexual abuse could be controlled if not fully eliminated.

For instance, the Lawyers for Human Rights and Development report which we quoted yesterday disclosed that in 15 out of 18 cases where fathers had raped their daughters, the mothers concerned were migrant workers in the Middle East. This problem of motherless families which are left at the mercy of dissolute spouses, has time and again been highlighted in the media and it is about time that the authorities thought of ways of ameliorating the lot of children left behind by these job-seeking mothers. It is high time these families are brought under the purview of the welfare authorities, if this has not already been done.

Besides, the husbands and other elders who are thus left to fend for children need to be counselled and guided on how the well-being of their families could be best maintained. Special attention needs to be also paid to the emotional needs of these dependents and caretakers.

Meanwhile, the legal process needs to be tight enough to ensure that sexual abusers are brought expeditiously to justice and made to pay the penalty commensurate with the crime. The more severe the punishment the greater will be its deterrent effect - this principle we consider as supremely important in stemming this wave of abuse.

Sexual permissiveness is also promoted by sections of the media and entertainment industry which thrive on pornography or variants of this which stimulate the baser instincts in the human personality. These sections too should come under the close scrutiny of the guardians of public morals, such as State censor boards and religious institutions.

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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