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Rape vs. Molestation
In today’s environment of self-righteous indignation when it comes to the treatment of animals, our nation should be astonished by the lack of outrage concerning the mistreatment of our most valuable resources. The human animal. Our children.
For years, we have taught our children to be afraid of the dark character in the black coat and hat lurking in the shadows, offering candy and other enticements. We never took the time to teach our children about the dark hearts of the people we call family, friends, and acquaintances. Oh, we may have whispered, “Tell me if
someone ‘touches’ or ‘bothers’ you”. When told, this information usually falls upon the deaf ears of those responsible for protecting and ensuring the safety of the child. Mostly for the sake of keeping the family together or to smother the supposed shame brought upon the family.
The laws of the land are written as to accommodate this by minimizing the true heinousness of the crimes against children. One way of accomplishing this is to slap the brand of Child Molester on the perpetrator, which can lead one with the misguided perception of a person who simply fondles, or had a casual inappropriate occurrence with a child. Meaning he/she placed some part of his/her body on, or in a child’s body.
Maybe it’s because there are in most instances no physical bruising to catch the eye. Maybe it’s because children change their stories especially when the perpetrator lives in the home or has easy access to the child. We mistakenly consider that a child can essentially influence whether or not they will be raped.
Put before you is the idea that if these persons have not been charged with rape,but are instead charded with molestation, there would be no record of having raped multiple people and being let out on the street with what amounts to a slap on the wrist. Serial rapist would be the brand placed upon this criminal. Have we not reached the point of calling a spade a spade? This is our fault.
Our society has also come to believe that women, especially those deemed by some to be of exceptional beauty, are incapable of committing the crime of rape. How is this possible? Have we made physical appearance criteria for determining the level of depravity of the mind and heart?
In our mind’s eye, when a man or woman is raped, it’s often a brutal attack such that would leave bruising and physical scarring. In most cases, this attack lasts only for the brief period available to the attacker. Although the victim is hurting both mentally and physically for all intense and purposes, the attack is over save for the aftershock and its lasting affects.
In the situation where a child is raped in what should be the comfort of their home, daycare, camp, church or school these rapes are constant, real, and more brutal. This is because the repeated attacks are not on the body alone. The mind, body and spirit are all victims of this savagery. The assailant does not run away. More often than not, he or she merely retreats to the next room until a later date. The rapist, more often than not, greets the victim, over morning breakfast.
This is not an attempt to diminish the damage caused by rape from a stranger or associate on an adult. A child, however, is placed in the situation of having
to suffer the continual attacks of the perpetrator. Diminished is the will to fight, the opinion of self-worth and sometimes the will to survive. The crimes of the attacker become the shame they carry in secret places of their hearts.
We are at an impasse. The continuance of idle discussion about the changes that must be made is of no benefit. There is the blood of cruelty and deceit and hopelessness on the hands of those who choose to look the other way.
When we do nothing, we are a part of this quiet conspiracy.
When we do nothing, we are co-defendants in these crimes.
If we do nothing to protect our children, then it is our
fault.
For years, we have taught our children to be afraid of the dark character in the black coat and hat lurking in the shadows, offering candy and other enticements. We never took the time to teach our children about the dark hearts of the people we call family, friends, and acquaintances. Oh, we may have whispered, “Tell me if
someone ‘touches’ or ‘bothers’ you”. When told, this information usually falls upon the deaf ears of those responsible for protecting and ensuring the safety of the child. Mostly for the sake of keeping the family together or to smother the supposed shame brought upon the family.
The laws of the land are written as to accommodate this by minimizing the true heinousness of the crimes against children. One way of accomplishing this is to slap the brand of Child Molester on the perpetrator, which can lead one with the misguided perception of a person who simply fondles, or had a casual inappropriate occurrence with a child. Meaning he/she placed some part of his/her body on, or in a child’s body.
Maybe it’s because there are in most instances no physical bruising to catch the eye. Maybe it’s because children change their stories especially when the perpetrator lives in the home or has easy access to the child. We mistakenly consider that a child can essentially influence whether or not they will be raped.
Put before you is the idea that if these persons have not been charged with rape,but are instead charded with molestation, there would be no record of having raped multiple people and being let out on the street with what amounts to a slap on the wrist. Serial rapist would be the brand placed upon this criminal. Have we not reached the point of calling a spade a spade? This is our fault.
Our society has also come to believe that women, especially those deemed by some to be of exceptional beauty, are incapable of committing the crime of rape. How is this possible? Have we made physical appearance criteria for determining the level of depravity of the mind and heart?
In our mind’s eye, when a man or woman is raped, it’s often a brutal attack such that would leave bruising and physical scarring. In most cases, this attack lasts only for the brief period available to the attacker. Although the victim is hurting both mentally and physically for all intense and purposes, the attack is over save for the aftershock and its lasting affects.
In the situation where a child is raped in what should be the comfort of their home, daycare, camp, church or school these rapes are constant, real, and more brutal. This is because the repeated attacks are not on the body alone. The mind, body and spirit are all victims of this savagery. The assailant does not run away. More often than not, he or she merely retreats to the next room until a later date. The rapist, more often than not, greets the victim, over morning breakfast.
This is not an attempt to diminish the damage caused by rape from a stranger or associate on an adult. A child, however, is placed in the situation of having
to suffer the continual attacks of the perpetrator. Diminished is the will to fight, the opinion of self-worth and sometimes the will to survive. The crimes of the attacker become the shame they carry in secret places of their hearts.
We are at an impasse. The continuance of idle discussion about the changes that must be made is of no benefit. There is the blood of cruelty and deceit and hopelessness on the hands of those who choose to look the other way.
When we do nothing, we are a part of this quiet conspiracy.
When we do nothing, we are co-defendants in these crimes.
If we do nothing to protect our children, then it is our
fault.
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