Thuggistan!

by Tisaranee Gunasekara My opinion is that nobody can make men responsible for the violence against women. Women are responsible for it Speaker hamal !a"apaksa # $pril %&' %&()' olombo' Sri *anka Guardian+ $minal al,-ilali was fifteen when she was raped. $ccording to Morocco.s penal,code' a rapist could escape prosecution if he married his victim. $mina did not want to marry her rapist/ but the rapist was willing' her parents were willing and the "udge was willing.

$fter several months of abusive marriage' $mina drank rat,poison. She was "ust si0teen. $mina.s suicide caused a national uproar against the country.s 1rape marriage law.. 2n 3anuary %&()' Morocco.s parliament unanimously approved the repealing of that archaic and un"ust law . Sri *anka' in the second decade of the %(st entury' is planning to enact her own 1rape marriage law.. $ccording to Minister of hild 4evelopment and Women.s $ffairs Tissa 5aralliyadda' under the proposed law a rapist will be able to marry his victim' if she consents. 2f the victim is underage' the rapist can marry her when she is eighteen . This is the !a"apaksa solution to the growing menace of rape6child,rape 7 not tougher punishments or speedier "ustice' but enabling the rapist to escape punishment by marrying his victim.

2f enacted' this law will have a particularly deadly effect on child victims' many of whom might be compelled by familial and societal pressure to marry their rapists 7 assuming the perpetrators are not already married or not too closely related to the victim. 2n a situation where the victim is financially dependent on her family #and the absolute ma"ority of eighteen,year, olds are financially dependent+' any clause about 1consent. will be a mere fig leaf for a forced marriage. The rapist will escape punishment' the family will be saved from 1social stigma. while the victim will be condemned to a lifetime of abuse #especially since under *ankan law martial rape is not a crime+. 2nstead of living with the memory of the nightmare' she will be forced to live the nightmare' everyday of her life. $ccording to a study by *awyers for 8uman !ights and 4evelopment #*8!4+' 9since %&&: there had been a trend in imposing suspended sentences in cases of rape and child molestation. even convicts of gang rape of underage females including school children had been given suspended sentences by courts. $ recent ;<2 =- study identified inade>uacies in e0isting laws as a ma"or cause of the growing epidemic of child rape6abuse? 9The procedures for investigation and prosecution of child abuse' witness protection and support for the victim are grossly inade>uate. The entire system needs to be assessed and rebuilt' through all the stages' with efficiency as a key priority <ot only is the law inade>uate/ it moves at glacial pace. 4uring a recent parliamentary debate' ;<@ parliamentarian $"ith @ @erera pointed out that a rape case usually takes around seven to ten years . $ law to protect children is reportedly in the making but' according to unnamed official sources' 9provisions for witness protection and special procedures to deal with child rape cases were not among the new recommendations . $dd the 1rape marriage provision. and the law will become a veritable green light to would be rapists. 2n 3une %&(%' the Minister 5araliyadde e0pressed a far more sane' sensible and realistic opinion on the problem of rape. 92 noticed the kind of minor sentence the perpetrators are getting. We need tougher laws.. 8is current advocacy of a bad law is consonant with the !a"apaksa regime.s attitude towards rape #including child rape+ which is characterised by ignorance' denial' distortion and trivialisation. !a"apaksa kinsman' $mbassador 3aliya Wickremesuriya' smilingly informed The Washington Times that rape is not a problem in Sri *anka? 9!apes' this and that' is not taking place. We have very disciplined people in Sri *anka. *ike any other country we have couple of cases 2 don.t say its Aero 8is uncle' Speaker hamal !a"apaksa' said that men cannot be blamed for rape and that the fault lies with women. 9The way men view women should be changed. Bnly women can bring about that change he opined at an event to mark the 2nternational Women.s 4ay no less. !esearch indicates otherwise. $ccording to a recent ;< Study' ().CD of *ankan men admitted raping a woman who was not their partner/ "ust under half said they have perpetrated rape more than once. $nd nearly three >uarters of these self,declared rapists identified a sense of 1se0ual entitlement. as their main motivation/ entertainment came second and punishment third . Eut !a"apaksas are never hobbled by facts' not when they have a myth to propagate. $nd blaming the victims is a favourite !a"apaksa tactic. Tamils are e0clusively responsible for all their ills/ Muslims and hristians are responsible for the attacks on their communities6mos>ues6churches. The people of Weliweriya got shot through their own fault. Easically in !a"apaksa Sri *anka bad things happen only when people are unruly and disobedient. Tamils oppose discrimination' Muslims and hristians insist on following their creeds and the people of Weliweriya do not want to drink poisoned water. They all asked for it'

as do women and children who are raped' including the FC year old woman and the barely five months old baby who "oined the ever,growing list of victims last year. $nd the ;<@ @arliamentarians were attacked because' instead of en"oying $vurudu bliss in some salubrious location' they poked their collective noses into !a"apaksa business. They were uppity and opinionated/ they had it coming. !a"apaksa Galues 8istorian $G= Elake points out that 9every civilisation has at its core a pool of creativity aligned with a set of values . The !a"apaksas are creating their own dominant value system. @atriotism 7 as defined and interpreted by the !a"apaksas , is now the greatest virtue. $ny concession to or accommodation with minority communities is deemed unnecessary if not dangerous. -undamental rights' democratic freedoms and progressive values are re"ected as Western imports' inimical to national sovereignty and inconsonant with cultural values. asinos 7 that is >uite another matter. The German couplet' 12f you do not want to be my brother' 2 will hammer your skull. is how the !a"apaksas relate to the nation and the world. They are blasH towards ordinary crime and disposed to welcome the criminally,inclined because crime and criminals are indispensable in controlling dissent and punishing opponents. The pistol,packing 8ambantoa Mayor described himself as a 1toy soldier.. 8e is right. Murderers' rapists and thugs' they all have a bright future in !a"apaksa,Sri *anka' as ministers' chairmen and mayors 7 puppets6toys' weapons and shields. ;nder !a"apaksa rule' Sri *anka is becoming increasingly antediluvian on a host of critically important areas' from democracy to devolution' from economics to socio,cultural issues. The naked attack on ;<@ parliamentarians and the proposed 1rape marriage law. which penalises victims and rewards perpetrators are symbolic and symbiotic of this national retrogression. *ankan society in general and the Bpposition in particular have a choice to make? resistance or sub"ugation. ;nite to defeat the obscene 1rape marriage law./ form a broader delegation consisting of representatives of all opposition parties' civil society and local and foreign media' and make another fact,finding visit to 8ambantoa. Br let the !a"apaksa tsunami devalue and destroy everything that is good and decent about this country. !eferences/ http?66www.therepublics>uare.com6politics6%&()6&I6(%6speaker,chamal,ra"apaksa,says, violence,against,women,is,their,own,fault6 http?66www.al"aAeera.com6news6africa6%&()6&(6morocco,repeals,rape,marriage,law, %&()(%I%C)J)I)CC.html http?66www.thesundayleader.lk6%&()6&)6(I6new,anti,rape,laws,proposed6 *enient sentences in child abuse cases 7 8! Groups concerned 7 Susitha ! -ernando 7 The 2sland 7 %).J.%&(( http?66www.unicef.org6srilanka6%&(IK hildKMarriageK aseKStudies.pdf http?66www.iede.co.uk6news6%&(IKI(FL6new,laws,may,fail,protect,children,sri,lanka The 2sland 7 ((.)..%&() http?66www.bbc.com6news6world,south,asia,(CC&FI&) $re our diplomats and @! firms doing enough in the international arena 7 <amini

Wi"edasahttp?66transcurrents.com6news,views6archives6F%I: http?66www.therepublics>uare.com6politics6%&()6&I6(%6speaker,chamal,ra"apaksa,says, violence,against,women,is,their,own,fault6 http?66www.dailymirror.lk6news6IC(:&,some,()C,of,lankan,men,admit,to,rape.html $ <ew Time 7 The 4ramatic ;niversity' the ;niS 3ournal 7 <ovember (LLI ;nd willst du nicht mein Eruder sein' So schlag. ich 4ir den SchMdel ein.