Neglected and raped<\/p>\n
The court has barely closed the chapter on the series of gang
\nrapes that shocked Jakarta this past year, now the city police
\nhave another tough case: to catch a serial killer who preys on
\nyoung boys. The killer has left in his trail eight victims --
\naged between 10 and 15 years -- over the past two years. Their
\nbodies were badly mutilated and most showed traces of having been
\nsodomized. Four of the victims still have not been identified.<\/p>\n
Police are far from solving the mystery, but their
\ninvestigation has led to a finding that is equally horrendous:
\npedophiles are lurking about our city preying on neglected
\nchildren.<\/p>\n
Last week, a group of street children in Central Jakarta broke
\ntheir silence and told of not one, but several pedophiles who use
\nthreats and money on the boys to satisfy their sexual urges.
\nTheir confession led to the police questioning of four men. All
\nof them have since admitted that they sodomized some of these
\nboys, but they denied ever killing any children. But even if the
\npolice cannot try them for the serial murders, the four men
\nshould be prosecuted based on their admissions of sodomy.<\/p>\n
We fully support the police efforts, and sympathize with the
\ndifficulties encountered, in catching the serial killer. But the
\ninvestigation has again exposed many of the basic weaknesses in
\nour legal system when dealing with sexual crimes.<\/p>\n
The Criminal Code does not have a specific article on sodomy.
\nThe closest offense that prosecutors could pin on the four men in
\npolice custody is from the Code's article 292, which makes it
\nillegal for anyone to engage, or be forced to engage, in sexual
\nrelations with someone underage and of the same sex. The maximum
\npenalty is five years imprisonment, a punishment that hardly
\nsuits such a heinous crime.<\/p>\n
If that's not light enough, our court judges have shown a
\ntendency, for some unexplained reason, to refrain from meting out
\nthe maximum penalty against sexual offenders. Too many convicted
\nrapists have gotten off lightly, and too many suspects have been
\nacquitted by the courts due to insufficient evidence.<\/p>\n
The police themselves have also admitted that they have had
\ndifficulty cracking the current serial-killer case, not only for
\nlack of evidence but because this is no ordinary killer. As one
\nofficer privately put it, police are not experienced in handling
\nthis kind of case. For nearly two years police have been in the
\ndark about the killings. Not until the young boys began to speak
\nup last week did they have a clue.<\/p>\n
Success in solving sexual crime cases hinges largely on
\nvictims coming forward to tell their story. Many victims of
\nsexual crimes, including pedophilia, understandably are too
\ntraumatized to come forward. Acquittals of rape suspects and the
\nlight punishments given to sexual offenders further discourage
\nthe victims from going public.<\/p>\n
If the series of gang rapes over the past year showed that the
\nlegal system is weak when it comes to protecting women against
\nsexual crimes, the current search for the serial killer suggests
\nthat the system is also failing to protect children, especially
\nwayward street children.<\/p>\n
Something must be done. This is not solely the responsibility
\nof the police and the courts. Society must take part in the
\neffort to stamp out sexual crimes against women and children.
\nFurthermore, the House of Representatives should move quickly to
\namend the laws dealing with offenders and legislate punishment
\nmore commensurate with their crimes.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/neglected-and-raped-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}