First it was Twitter, then it was emails, then one long phone call, and then Zima and I met up Waterloo station, and proceeded to have a Cuban/Jamaican/Mexican lunch (I truly cannot remember which one it was, but I know I enjoyed it!)
Apart from eating, we talked, a lot. From healthcare, family, work, men (duh), and dreams that we have. Zima is absolutely lovely, and I’m excited she agreed to write in on an issue that is dear to both our hearts.
I’m Zima Meli, a Nigerian citizen and looking back on 2013, I can cite numerous reasons to be grateful, two of which are: a new role and a new perspective on life.
As a result of my newly found perspective, I would like to jump up and straight into proposing a solution (in my 600-word window) to the growing problem of child molestation faced in our society. In the month of November, the Punch Newspaper reported on 13 individual rape cases, 46% of which involved children under 14. Whether it is as a result of increased reportage, or increased interconnectedness, I’m sure we can agree that we are experiencing a copious amount of paedophilia news reportage. One online news reviewer has even taken to humorously tagging these reports “news from depravity central”. But there is nothing humorous about paedophilia. At least, not for children.
Rather than delve into grueling analysis of the damage done by this, how about we discuss some solutions? How do we face this as a society? Do we shake our heads na-wa-for-this-world-ly, or push for an appropriate penalty effective in deterring these reprobates? Such as castration?
Before a bounty is placed on my head, hear me out. Castration dates back to ancient Hebrew, Greek and Persian cultures and served a number of purposes including (as time went on) punishing vile sex offenders. Many countries still adopt this (and with good results) as a means of rehabilitating sex offenders. Howbeit, the practice has shifted over time from a surgical to chemical approach (or anti-libidinal psychopharmacological intervention if you want to sound posh). Here are 3 reasons why we should consider in Nigeria.
1. It is effective. Reports from Scandinavia show a reduction in reoffending rates from 40% to as little as 5%. In developed climes, offenders admit to having lost control of their urges, and even voluntarily request castration. So, if a.) offenders admit to these offences being beyond their control, and b.) temporary measures have been shown to be effective in curbing deviant sexual behavior, doesn’t it make sense to introduce permanent/irreversible measures to curb these crimes in societies with higher incidences and less effective solutions? Surely, it follows that if there is a valid case for life imprisonment for certain crimes, there should also be a case for permanent castration for perpetrators of crimes of a relevant nature? And before someone brings up the issue of human rights, anyone who violates the innocence of a child should accept a waiver on their own human rights, simply because children only have one chance at childhood.
2. No money to waste. In a society like ours where prison budgets are anorexic at best, this seems to me the most effective, and least expensive option – at least until we are mature enough to pamper our offenders. In the meantime, give them 10 years, ‘destroy their tools of trade’, and make society better.
3. The Bible suggests so. But does the Bible not call for forgiveness? It does, and also states that Christians are subject to the laws of the land. So, if Jesus had caught a child molester in the act, would he have asked them to “Go and sin no more”? Many scholars believe that he wouldn’t have. The argument for this comes from Matthew 18:6, and Mark 9:42, where Jesus said of anyone who causes little children to stumble, that it would have been better if they had a millstone round their neck, before being irretrievably dropped into the sea. David Instone-Brewer in his book, The Jesus Scandals suggests that this statement was aimed directly at child abusers, based on the Greek term (skandalizo) translated to the English word ‘stumble’. Apparently, the same Greek term is used in older Jewish texts, warning young men not to “gaze at a virgin, lest her beauty makes you stumble”, and also to avoid “the wicked woman who will make you stumble”. Scholars argue that this language is euphemistic, as in the popular Jewish literary culture of the time, but the implications were obvious. Jesus was talking here about child sex abuse, which he hated with more ferocity than he expressed for any other sin, and it is not difficult to see why.
Therefore, castration reserves a space for eunuchs under the category “those made eunuchs by men”.
In a nutshell, a cocktail consisting of the confessed ‘helplessness’ of offenders, an obligation to keep our children and society safe, and the failure of our existing justice system to control this menace, suggests that chemical castration offers both hope for offenders, and an effective solution for any society serious about protecting its vulnerable future.
My dear, very dear Zima! Looking peaceful like she didn’t just spit fire in this post!! And I agree with her a hundred and fifty percent!
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