Political Perspective
By: GWEN LISTERIT is all very well for women parliamentarians to call for maximum sentences for rapists, but that is not going to solve the problem, as we all know.
They'd do better to get out into their constituencies and do some
educating and mobilising around this issue rather than merely shout
the odds in Parliament.
To try to salve our consciences by putting away such people for
life is to treat the symptoms rather than the causes of the scourge
of rape.
I'M happy, of course, that MPs have raised the issue, but
slightly perplexed that it's the women in Parliament, rather than
all members, who are putting this issue on the agenda.
After all, although it affects primarily women and children,
rape is not just a 'woman' thing.
It's a national problem and men just damn well better be part of
the solution or there won't be one at all.
Namibians need to look at why rape is happening at such a
prolific rate in our society.
And even more importantly, to examine why children, in
particular infants, are increasingly targeted.
We have by now surely accumulated enough statistics on rapists
themselves, as well as the crime of rape, to try to establish
whether there is a pattern throughout our society in demographic
terms; whether socio-economic backgrounds play a role; or
upbringing; or any other factors that may lead us to solutions to
the problem.
The crucial question is why violent crime against women is
increasing? More importantly, why children, infants? Rape is
defined as a crime of violence.
What is driving men in Namibia to commit such horrific acts? Is
it pure sadism, as one suspects must be the case when it comes to
the rape of infants and children? Is it sometimes alcohol-induced?
Is it a result of hopelessness and feelings of futility about life?
Or none of the above? Not that there can be any excuse for this
kind of act, but we need to give thought to trying to identify the
cause of this spiralling violence.
And there must be something the statistics can tell us.
We also need to look at our court data.
Our MPs could do a bit of homework in this regard.
How often do rapists, alleged or otherwise, get away with their
crimes of violence because of shoddy police work, lost dockets, or
witnesses who fail to turn up? The arrest of an alleged rapist is
one thing.
The conviction quite another.
And if our law enforcement agencies are not up to scratch in
terms of thorough police work, properly investigating and putting a
solid case together against the perpetrator/s, we cannot expect the
courts to mete out sentences that are appropriate to the crime.
I do of, course, agree in principle that rapists be given
maximum sentences but I also acknowledge that it is not as easy as
that.
They've got to be proven guilty first! So for MPs to cry 'life'
for rapists is futile unless the law enforcement machinery is in
place to ensure that such people don't go scot-free because the
police are inefficient and inept.
Neither is deterrence after the fact the only solution.
To effectively tackle the crime of rape, we need to scrutinise
our societal norms and cultures.
Has something gone badly wrong somewhere? We need also to
examine the effectiveness, or lack thereof, in our law enforcement
agencies.
We've got agencies out there, including the police, such as the
Women and Child Abuse Centre; psychiatrists and social workers and
counsellors, who can surely help shed some light on the subject so
that we can begin to effectively tackle the problem rather than
simply express outrage.
We need to interview perpetrators.
Why are they doing it? Especially raping children? Does the
reported myth about the fear of HIV-AIDS have something to do with
acts of sexual violence against children? A recent case in the
headlines may answer some of these questions if those apprehended
are asked them: a mother and a two-year- old infant are
sleeping.
Two men enter the shack.
They are intent on violence or more specifically, rape? They
have a choice.
Two apparently unresistant prospective victims.
They ignore the sleeping mother and abduct the child, who is
later found raped and murdered about 100 metres away.
Why? Perhaps if the casework against the two alleged
perpetrators is properly prepared and put before court, we may have
some answers.
And answers we do need if we are to tackle the problem
effectively.
To try to salve our consciences by putting away such people for
life is to treat the symptoms rather than the causes of the scourge
of rape.I'M happy, of course, that MPs have raised the issue, but
slightly perplexed that it's the women in Parliament, rather than
all members, who are putting this issue on the agenda.After all,
although it affects primarily women and children, rape is not just
a 'woman' thing.It's a national problem and men just damn well
better be part of the solution or there won't be one at
all.Namibians need to look at why rape is happening at such a
prolific rate in our society.And even more importantly, to examine
why children, in particular infants, are increasingly targeted.We
have by now surely accumulated enough statistics on rapists
themselves, as well as the crime of rape, to try to establish
whether there is a pattern throughout our society in demographic
terms; whether socio-economic backgrounds play a role; or
upbringing; or any other factors that may lead us to solutions to
the problem.The crucial question is why violent crime against women
is increasing? More importantly, why children, infants? Rape is
defined as a crime of violence.What is driving men in Namibia to
commit such horrific acts? Is it pure sadism, as one suspects must
be the case when it comes to the rape of infants and children? Is
it sometimes alcohol-induced? Is it a result of hopelessness and
feelings of futility about life? Or none of the above? Not that
there can be any excuse for this kind of act, but we need to give
thought to trying to identify the cause of this spiralling
violence.And there must be something the statistics can tell us.We
also need to look at our court data.Our MPs could do a bit of
homework in this regard.How often do rapists, alleged or otherwise,
get away with their crimes of violence because of shoddy police
work, lost dockets, or witnesses who fail to turn up? The arrest of
an alleged rapist is one thing.The conviction quite another.And if
our law enforcement agencies are not up to scratch in terms of
thorough police work, properly investigating and putting a solid
case together against the perpetrator/s, we cannot expect the
courts to mete out sentences that are appropriate to the crime.I do
of, course, agree in principle that rapists be given maximum
sentences but I also acknowledge that it is not as easy as
that.They've got to be proven guilty first! So for MPs to cry
'life' for rapists is futile unless the law enforcement machinery
is in place to ensure that such people don't go scot-free because
the police are inefficient and inept.Neither is deterrence after
the fact the only solution.To effectively tackle the crime of rape,
we need to scrutinise our societal norms and cultures.Has something
gone badly wrong somewhere? We need also to examine the
effectiveness, or lack thereof, in our law enforcement
agencies.We've got agencies out there, including the police, such
as the Women and Child Abuse Centre; psychiatrists and social
workers and counsellors, who can surely help shed some light on the
subject so that we can begin to effectively tackle the problem
rather than simply express outrage.We need to interview
perpetrators.Why are they doing it? Especially raping children?
Does the reported myth about the fear of HIV-AIDS have something to
do with acts of sexual violence against children? A recent case in
the headlines may answer some of these questions if those
apprehended are asked them: a mother and a two-year- old infant are
sleeping.Two men enter the shack.They are intent on violence or
more specifically, rape? They have a choice.Two apparently
unresistant prospective victims.They ignore the sleeping mother and
abduct the child, who is later found raped and murdered about 100
metres away.Why? Perhaps if the casework against the two alleged
perpetrators is properly prepared and put before court, we may have
some answers.And answers we do need if we are to tackle the problem
effectively.