The Hidden World of Sexual Abuse: The Current Global Situation and How To Improve It

Transcription

1 The Hidden World of Sexual Abuse: The Current Global Situation and How To Improve It Hello, my name is Anna Halliday and on behalf of myself and my fellow chairs I would like to welcome you to the annual George Watson s College MUN Conference for I will be chairing the Human Rights Committee at this conference alongside my friend, Lily Davidson. Personally, I have only been participating in Model United Nations for a relatively short amount of time. However, my co-chair is very experienced and between the two of us, I am sure we will help in putting on an enjoyable and successful conference. I would first like to thank you for choosing to attend this conference but also, if you are feeling nervous or apprehensive in any way, urge you to not worry about it. I can assure you that everyone involved from the school is extremely welcoming and would be more than happy to help in any way possible if you are feeling unsure of everything. To the first time delegates, I implore you to not to feel intimidated by the more practised and confident delegates. Please remember that it was once their first time too and they would surely appreciate any form of contribution from you. Sexual Abuse in the World Today The term sexual abuse refers to any action that coerces or puts pressure on someone to do something or to take part in something sexually that they do not want to do. It is any unwanted sexual activity such as rape, oral sex and restricting access to birth control where the perpetrator uses force, uses threats or takes advantage of victims who are not able to give consent. Sexual abuse has always been, and remains to be, a worldwide issue that affects all types of society no matter how wealthy or developed. It is a plague amongst the human race that no one is immune to, and whether they are male, female, young or old, everyone is at risk of experiencing sexual abuse at one point in their lives. Even in some of the seemingly most civilised and developed countries sexual abuse continues to be a massive issue. One particular recent example of this was in the UK in Rotherham last October. It emerged that at least 1,400 children, some as young as 11, had been sexually abused over a 16 year period due to the police neglecting the case. The situation arose due to the girls being viewed as prostitutes, not victims. In addition, the offenders were of Iraqi Kurdish descent, causing the police to be reluctant to investigate the claims as they did not want to appear racist. However, only six miles away in Sheffield, no such situation occurred. This is because in 1992 the council prioritized the issue by funding the development of a unit that looks specifically at the problems of young girls engaged in prostitution in the city. In 2001 they set up the Sexual

2 Exploitation Service, which brings together the efforts of the police, the council, voluntary and health services. Another instance of horrifying sexual abuse occurred in India in 2014 when a report came to light of some elders of a tribal community had ordered a young women to be gang-raped by 10 men after she was allegedly seen having a relationship with a man of another religion. She was initially ordered to pay a fine of just under 500. However, upon stating that she could not afford to pay, she was brutally assaulted throughout the night before being dumped at her home and was forbidden from contacting the authorities for another 24 hours. Aside from child abuse and exploitation and rape across all corners of the globe there are many other issues that reside underneath the umbrella of sexual abuse. To mention a few, things like female genital mutilation, dating and courtship violence and human trafficking are all still huge issues across the world. Factfile: In the United States of America, one out of every three females and one out of every eight males will be sexually abused by the age of eighteen. In the U.K., 90 percent of offenders and perpetrators are family members or close family friends. In England and Wales approximately women on average are raped every year. In the United States of America, someone is sexually assaulted every two minutes. In the United States of America, roughly 97 percent of rapists are never imprisoned. In the United States of America, 60% of all rape cases go unreported. In the European Union, up to half a million girls are affected or threatened with female genital mutilation, with most of these girls being migrants. Consequences of Sexual Abuse: Psychological Damage: Sexual abuse is a personal and destructive crime and the consequences of it for the victim continue beyond the instance or instances where the actual abuse takes place. Often the short term effects are of injury, feelings of pain and guilt and a sense of degradation. However, the long term effects can include social exclusion and substantial psychological damage. This may include depression, the developments of conditions like eating disorders and post traumatic stress disorder and in some cases can lead the victim to commit suicide. Disease In addition to this, for survivors of sexual abuse crimes such as rape, they carry the risk of contracting Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), AIDS and unwanted pregnancies. In some countries such as Ireland and several in the Middle-East like Afghanistan and the Yemen, abortion is only permitted if the woman s life is in danger, meaning that some women will potentially be forced to carry the child of their abuser. Abortion is also strictly prohibited under the teachings of several religions, meaning that women are forcibly confined in order to ensure

3 that they do not abort the pregnancy. It is argued that forcing the women to have the child can impose a great psychological strain on her as the child acts as a living reminder of the trauma that she has suffered and can be seen in some societies as proof for the women s immoral behaviour. Social exclusion Sexual abuse can also lead to social exclusion from society. Frequently, severe abuse such as rape can leave women with such serious internal injuries that they are then no longer able to conceive even if they wanted to later in life. Such infertility and loss of virginity can then in some societies make a women unmarriageable leading to a life of forced solitude and rejection from their family. In select cases, the victims involved are unable to handle the shame, leading them to commit suicide. The Key Issues: Punishment A major source of debate surrounding the topic of sexual abuse is how to punish the offenders and how severe the punishments should be. For such a crime, many feel that castration would act as a suitable punishment. Castration (otherwise known as neutering) is a process by which a male becomes sterilized through the removal of his testes or by other method. This can be done through surgery, chemicals or through other practises and can involve great decreases in the levels of certain hormones such as testosterone. Hormonal Castration is used as a punishment against acute crimes of sexual abuse such as rape in many countries around the world, including those in Europe and certain parts of the US. However, there are many arguments surrounding castration mainly revolving around its barbarity, whether it is an effective treatment and whether it is a sure method of protecting the public from sexual offenders. In some points of view, sexual abuse is such a horrific crime that it deserves a punishment of comparable severity. However, others may also argue that our current legal system is based on non-physical punishment, saying that such methods are too inhumane for today s enlightened society. Human Rights of Offenders Another point in favour of castration is that there is a large stigma against sex offenders amongst the public - and through a punishment of castration there would possibly be a reduction in the prejudice against the offenders themselves, reducing the level of their own suffering. One could also argue that the sex offenders have a right to seek treatment to prevent them from reoffending should they desire it, and the most obvious treatment that they would

4 seek would be some form of castration. However, some evidence has suggested that it is not even an effective treatment for sex offenders. In particular, the American Civil Liberties have contended that determined sex offenders can, in all probability, reverse the effect with other drugs. The fact remains nevertheless that the legal system has a duty to do what is best for the safety of the public. If the sexual offenders are judged to be too dangerous or likely to reoffend even after a long prison sentence, castration could be the only answer. What Can Be Done? Sexual abuse and related violence constitutes a violation of human rights. It is the duty of the governments of the world to ensure that there are no exemptions for the offenders who commit such crimes. They are bound under international human rights laws to not commit human rights violations but also prevent and respond to abuses of human rights. However, often state policies and inaction by the government allow sexual abuse to continue in society. In order to combat this there must be a change in the way that the law deals with sexual abuse and treats the offenders. This could be achieved by introducing new, more severe laws for treating cases of sexual abuse and also increasing the accountability of the police forces, increasing police numbers and developing new centres which look specifically at sexual abuse. Another sure way of progressing towards the eradication of sexual abuse is through changing the views of society collectively. Education is a sure way of raising awareness and preventing sexual abuse in the future. A primary reason for the prevalence of sexual abuse in the world today is the willing ignorance of people to acknowledge the issue and not fully understanding of the consequences of said abuse. It needs to become a larger issue for society, not only now but for generations to come. Key Points to Consider when writing your resolution Support for those who have been sexually abused, both with reference to health care for injuries and emotional support. Funding of development and improvement of centres for investigating cases of sexual abuse. New legislation that ensures criminalisation of offenders. How offenders should be punished and the severity/length of the punishment or sentence. Making the police and social services more accountable. Increasing staff levels with specialist training in police forces and social services. Education; making people aware of what sexual abuse is, the effects it can have, what their rights are, as well as the support they are able to receive. New stricter laws against forms of sexual abuse such as female genital mutilation and rape. Prevention of child sexual abuse and exploitation. Prevention of female genital mutilation.

5 What You Can Do Now: If you hope to be in the running for an award you must submit a country Position Paper. This is a statement consisting of around 50 words that gives a brief account of your country s view on each of the topics for debate in this Committee. If you do wish to write one, the deadline for submitting it is the 27th February 2015, and all Position Papers regarding sexual abuse should be sent to me at ahalliday09@gwc.org.uk. Should you have any queries regarding the topic please do not hesitate to contact me and I will be happy to help. I sincerely look forward to meeting you in March 2015 for what I am sure will be a successful and gratifying conference. To find out more about this issue: For Country Profiles and Lots of Other Useful Information:

6 For Issues of Current International Debate: