Immediate steps urged against pedophilia<\/p>\n
I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali<\/p>\n
The public concern over pedophilia has increased of late on Bali,
\nbut local communities and social workers are running into
\ndifficulties in fighting the practice.<\/p>\n
During a meeting on child sex here on Wednesday,
\nrepresentatives of 37 local non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
\ndemanded the Bali administration act immediately against the
\npractice, and prosecute those involved in the crime.<\/p>\n
They also demanded the maximum punishment for pedophiles, and
\nurged the government to deport and ban foreign pedophiles from
\nreentering the country after they served their sentence.<\/p>\n
\"This gathering is aimed at seeking united action by the NGOs
\nand concerned individuals against this kind of pornography, and
\nincreasing the awareness of the local administration and the
\ngeneral public about the seriousness of the problem.<\/p>\n
\"I don't think people really understand how serious the
\nsituation is. The future of an entire generation of Balinese
\nchildren is at stake here,\" LK Suryani, a noted scholar, said.<\/p>\n
Suryani initiated the meeting, along with the Committee
\nAgainst Sexual Abuse.<\/p>\n
On the sidelines of the gathering, a social worker who
\nrequested anonymity told The Jakarta Post that pedophilia on the
\nisland was linked to poverty, and that the practice had become an
\norganized crime.<\/p>\n
He said a study he conducted recently showed that most of the
\npedophiles on the island were foreigners.<\/p>\n
\"They have an organization, through which they hire local
\nagents to scour Bali's many poor villages in Karangasem and
\nBangli for potential victims. Lured by material comfort and money
\nfor their families, the boys agree to move to Denpasar, sometimes
\noverseas, where they are later sexually exploited by these
\npedophiles,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The pedophiles are generally wealthy and generous men, and
\ntheir organization is very powerful, not only in financial terms,
\nbut in the way it influences local officials and leaders, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"That is the main reason why it is so hard to fight them,
\nbecause they deliberately target boys from impoverished families,
\nwhich usually consider these wealthy men as sincere benefactors,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
At least 200 children from the northern coastal regency of
\nBuleleng have fallen prey to the pedophiles, according to him.<\/p>\n
Another social worker, Gloria, who works at a clinic that
\nprovides free medical treatment for poor people in Buleleng, said
\nduring the meeting that the clinic had treated at least 21
\nchildren, most of them boys between the ages of 12 and 13, who
\nhad been sexually abused.<\/p>\n
She said the boys had been sodomized and some of them had
\nsexually transmitted diseases. And most of the children showed
\nsymptoms of psychological trauma, she added.<\/p>\n
\"The trauma is intense. Some of them display behavioral
\nproblems, extreme stress, fear, and have nightmares when they
\nsleep because of the trauma,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Separately, a concerned Dutch national, Gerrit J. Th. Ten
\nVeen, said the most dangerous consequence of pedophilia was the
\nbirth of a \"vicious circle\".<\/p>\n
\"It means that a victim of pedophilia is likely to grow up to
\nbe a pedophile himself. We must prevent this from happening. Me
\nand my colleagues are here to help our Balinese friends drive all
\nthose bastards off of this island,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/immediate-steps-urged-against-pedophilia-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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