Garth Rattray
A FRIEND OF MINE was recently brutally raped. Murders are down but 'sex' crimes are up and there has been much publicity surrounding the rape of prison inmates. About two weeks ago, Desperate Housewives star, Teri Hatcher, went off script and almost broke down as she recalled how she was sexually abused when she was a little girl. And, popular screen actress, Gabriel Union, joined national and Washington-based rape crisis experts as they briefed Congress on the challenges of providing sexual assault services to victims nationwide. She related her own horrific experience at being beaten, gun-butted and raped when she was 18 years old. Thankfully, her attacker is currently serving a 33-year sentence (our rapists generally receive a mere 10 to 15 years if a firearm is involved while committing the crime).
NATIONWIDE EVENTS
Interestingly, all this took place in April, which is observed as Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month in the United States. The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), America's largest anti-sexual assault organisation, listed 76 nationwide events scheduled for this month on their website alone. It operates a National Assault Hotline, is involved with programmes aimed at preventing sexual assault, helps victims and assists in ensuring that rapists are brought to justice. Even without the benefit of corroborative statistics, it is believed that perhaps most rapes go unreported in Jamaica. We, therefore, badly need multimedia public education campaigns and a month dedicated to rape/sexual abuse awareness.
Common misconceptions concerning rape abound. While speaking in Parliament recently, veteran politician, Mr. Pearnel Charles (Jamaica Labour Party shadow minister for transport and works and Member of Parliament for Clarendon North Central) voiced a popular false impression about rape. He said something to the effect that he had warned the men of his constituency that before they decide to commit rape, they should come to him.
This, of course, was greeted with peels of laughter from the House and dumbstruck, jaw-dropping, disbelief from the television audience (myself included). Mr. Charles went on to explain that he would give those potential rapists money to find a good woman.
But rape has nothing whatsoever to do with 'love', 'intimacy' or 'loneliness'. Seventy-five per cent of rapists already have one or several regular sexual partners. It also has little to do with sexual intercourse because 'intercourse' is an interaction, a two-way activity. Sexual intercourse is between two consenting partners. The act of rape, on the other hand, is one-sided and consists of pure, unadulterated violence driven by the sick urge of one criminal-minded human being to overpower, humiliate, subjugate, dehumanise, victimise and violate another. This violent act takes away the victim's free-will (self-determination) and control (even over her/his most private of body parts).
LACK OF SELECTIVITY
The depravity of rapists is made manifest by their total lack of selectivity. They will rape males, females, infants, children, adults, the elderly and even the infirm. These anti-social criminals will employ any means at their disposal (threats, violence, manipulation, confusion or a weapon) to perform their despicable deed. Rapists usually plan ahead by observing their intended victim(s) for days, weeks or even months before the attack. And, rapists are often well acquainted with their victim(s); consequently most rapes take place in homes.
Rapists bear no distinguishing features nor do they exhibit any overt signs of mental problems. They come from all walks of life and there is no reliable psychological evaluation that can pre-determine who will commit rape. What's obvious is that such degenerates are grossly lacking in self-worth. Resorting to menacing or subduing another in order to violate them speaks volumes about their complete lack of manliness.
Next week, the aftermath.
Dr Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice.
