Dear Editor,
I read a bizarre story on the BBC of a four year old girl who was recently raped in India. I could not help but reflect on how sick some people could be.
Right here in Guyana a woman in her late seventies was raped by a relative of hers, reportedly under the influence of drugs. There is the most recent case where a city businessman was found guilty of sexually molesting a seven year old boy.
Crimes and criminal acts of a sexual nature are not unique to any particular race, ethnicity, gender or culture group. Even the Vatican is not spared allegations of sexual abuse by leading members of the clergy against young and unsuspecting children.
Psychologists and psychoanalysts have long posited that man in his natural state is no different from that of lower animals insofar as the satisfaction of basic needs are concerned, namely the need for food, shelter and sex. The only thing that differentiates man from lower animals is the internalisation of society in the case of the latter.
It is that internalisation of social norms and values along with the relevant legal institutions to protect life and property that acts as a deterrent to otherwise deviant and other forms of anti-social behaviour.
This is why the justice system needed to be much more proactive and expeditious when dealing with cases involving rape and sexual abuse especially those committed against teenagers and minors.
It was the Greek philosopher Socrates who famously remarked that two-legged creatures are many but men are few. We have to be constantly on guard against those who may appear human but are possessed by evil intentions.
Yours faithfully,
Hydar Ally
