Dear Editor,
Woman Inc's submission to the parliamentary committee reviewing the sexual offences laws includes the change that sexual intercourse be defined as "the penetration of the vagina of one person by the penis of another person". This definition is that only women and girls are protected from forms of sexual violence.
Even as we forward the cause of greater equality for all woman-kind, we must not continue to leave behind our boys and men who already disadvantaged as it pertains to advancing education, involvement in criminal activities, and employment. The male gender must not be forgotten while we review the sexual offences laws, and there should not be any issue when it comes to gender neutral sexual offences laws as it is a matter of protecting humankind against non-consenting sexual offence.
The wording and terminology may be uncomfortable, but in this modern day it is also unthinkable that we can't say that men can be raped according to the law. But, more importantly, we need to move beyond the misnomer that rape or any penetration makes the victim just feminine/female so we can deal with this issue.
Since changing the definition of the act would make the buggery law virtually redundant, it is not inconceivable that their will be clashes and head-butts ahead. Buggery may be gender neutral by the term, but it has a connotation of homosexuality that makes boys and men less likely to report that they have been raped.
We must not be apprehensive to give voice to the many boys and men who are raped or may be raped by both men and women by way of penetration. This is not about repealing the buggery law and should be considered as real attempt to protect your brother, father, cousin, nephew; giving them, us the power to step forward and report these unfortunate incidents. Male rape is one of the most untold stories across the world, especially in masculine-dominated societies like Jamaica, and we must believe that changing a law and public education can slowly change a culture of silent suffering.
Mario Boothe
m.raphael.b@gmail.com
Gender neutrality need not be an issue
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Woman Inc's submission to the parliamentary committee reviewing the sexual offences laws includes the change that sexual intercourse be defined as "the penetration of the vagina of one person by the penis of another person". This definition is that only women and girls are protected from forms of sexual violence.
Even as we forward the cause of greater equality for all woman-kind, we must not continue to leave behind our boys and men who already disadvantaged as it pertains to advancing education, involvement in criminal activities, and employment. The male gender must not be forgotten while we review the sexual offences laws, and there should not be any issue when it comes to gender neutral sexual offences laws as it is a matter of protecting humankind against non-consenting sexual offence.
The wording and terminology may be uncomfortable, but in this modern day it is also unthinkable that we can't say that men can be raped according to the law. But, more importantly, we need to move beyond the misnomer that rape or any penetration makes the victim just feminine/female so we can deal with this issue.
Since changing the definition of the act would make the buggery law virtually redundant, it is not inconceivable that their will be clashes and head-butts ahead. Buggery may be gender neutral by the term, but it has a connotation of homosexuality that makes boys and men less likely to report that they have been raped.
We must not be apprehensive to give voice to the many boys and men who are raped or may be raped by both men and women by way of penetration. This is not about repealing the buggery law and should be considered as real attempt to protect your brother, father, cousin, nephew; giving them, us the power to step forward and report these unfortunate incidents. Male rape is one of the most untold stories across the world, especially in masculine-dominated societies like Jamaica, and we must believe that changing a law and public education can slowly change a culture of silent suffering.
Mario Boothe
m.raphael.b@gmail.com
Gender neutrality need not be an issue
-->