Mark Smyth wrote:
> Generalyy ,you seem to have a bit of a flipant attitude about the subject.
> If you had children (i'm assuming you don't), or if you had seem the victim
> of child abuse, it might change your attitude.
I seem to have expressed myself in a way that neither got my point
across, nor gave the impression I cared much about the subject (which I
do). So let me try to rephrase this while taking the time and the care
the subject deserves.
Child abuse is bad. It should be eradicated by all legal means
available. Regardless of whether you believe that the main intent of the
penal system should be to avenge, to correct the behaviour of the
criminal or simply to protect by taking somebody of the streets, I
believe long or permanent sentences are warranted (I do not believe in
the "saved by god" arguments either).
But care must be taken not to label people as child abuser simply
because they have had intercourse with somebody who is underage (a
child). I believe people below 16 are underage in my country, yet the
average age of first intercourse is below that. The intercourse is of
the consensual girlfriend/boyfriend kind, but it is still illegal.
Should we label both as child abuser in this case, simply because they
had intercourse with somebody who was underage? Should we castrate them
both?
Or are we protecting children if we say that this is part of their
normal development and they should just do their thing, as long as it is
consensual, even if they are below 16/18/whatever age?
I am very wary about good intentions turning bad when applied without
nuance, flexibility, care and a personal touch. And I have seen similar
cases from very nearby, where people became paria's in their own
community for just this, consensual intercourse between
girlfriend/boyfriend, because their community thought it wasn't the time
for it yet.
Children are not helped by letting child abusers walk after 3 months of
therapy. But they are also not helped by overzealous protection, and my
point is that we must be carefull where we draw the line which defines
what is child abuse, not what we do with the people that cross that line.
Jochem
--
Be carefull what you aim for, cause where you aim you just might hit.
- REM
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