Thursday 24 July 2008

Monster or creater?

Whilst having numorous discussions, sometimes very heated, with people of the older generation, certain issues come to light and many questions.

Almost all of the "older generation" (and some younger) I have talked with, concerning child abuse, appear to have the same answer. That is all child abusers should be "castrated", put on the electric chair or hung. It is a very narrow minded point of view but typical of the generation who were bought up where children were to be seen and not heard and women were barefoot, pregnant and tied to the kitchen sink.

The world, thankfully, has moved on from those days..................... or has it? Jersey is in the world spotlight at the moment for horrific, brutal and barbaric treatment of it's children. Children who are alledging they have been raped, tortured, and beaten by their "carers" in the States of Jersey. Some one hundred alleged victims have come forward, reliving their nightmares and tormented years in the slight glimmer of hope they just might get some justice, expose their abusers so they can't do any more harm to any other children.

So here we are in the 21st century Jersey, so far all these poor victims have had is the "Williamson report" (enough said) Frank Walker saying "not on my watch" the Baliff saying "the real criminals are outside journalists" and suspects, who the lead investigator believes has ample evidence to charge being released without charge by our "powers that be". Our health minister sacked for being their voice along with Simon Bellwood trying to be their voice and losing his job.

One of the most recent arrests involving HDLG was of a fairly young man who, if he is guilty, would have been abusing these children whilst he almost still was one himself. I believe this man spent most of his life in the Jersey "care" system. There is a good chance he has been brought up being raped, tortured and beaten by the very people who are supposed to "care" for him, mould his future and put him on the path of being a responsible, "educated" and succesfull contributer and member of society.

Now I am in no way condoning what he might have done to any child, but serious questions are raised, should he be castrated, hung, or electicuted............. should he be punished at all?
This could be a child who has grown up in a world that most of us couldn't even imagine exists. Subjected to such atrocity's one only ever reads about in books or watches in horror films on T.V. Has been battling inner demons his whole life, hates himself, has no self esteem and possibly believes the world he has been brought up in, is indeed, the real world.

To people fortunate enough to have grown up in a loving and caring family this might be incomprehendable.

Society demands comeuppence and punishment, perhaps more so the older generation. But what is more important? Having a society or goverment that is open, transparent where regulations are put in place and outside scrutiny is welcomed. Checks and balances are in place to ensure what has been allowed to happen can never happen again. Should it be the abuser that is put on trial or should it be the "care" system?

So far those who have been charged are what some might call "small fry" or "scapegoats", some of whom are indeed "victims of the system" they were unfortunate enough to grow up in. Nobody from "the establishment" Civil servants or ministers have been held to account for anything, to the best of my knowledge.

So rather than castrate, hang or electrocute some of these people maybe we could look at, what, (who) made them into these monsters, how was it allowed to go on undetected for so long, who covered it up? Are they to blame or is it the system? Do they deserve punishment or compassion?

It is my view the Jersey Goverment created these monsters, and possibly still are creating them. Is it the monster that should be slayed or is it the creator?

I would like to add, when using the word "monster" it is not meant literally or defamatory.

2 comments:

  1. Excellent post voiceforchildren,

    For some reason your thoughts remind me of Mary Shelley's 'The Modern Prometheus'

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein

    Jez

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  2. If I remember the third year degree module on inter-personal violence correctly, the % of victims going on to abuse remains fairly consitant at 25% - 30% across the range of abuses and across boarders. However, this website suggests its significantly lower.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2732083.stm

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