Sean Major-Campbell | Rape and the silence in Church

THE RAPE of children in Jamaica may just be an epidemic! Our go-to coping method in response to rape and murder of children is to call for capital punishment and condemn human rights organisations. There is hardly a cry for behaviour change on the part of perpetrators of violence.

The silence is so loud in many places, if the offender is a pastor, politician, police or other ‘status-holder’ in society. There are lovely Christian women in our churches who will authoritatively make certain declarations re the girl victims of rape. “Yu tink dem gal pickni ya iizi? Dem nuh stap chuo demself pan di man dem.” (You think these girls are easy? They do not stop throwing themselves on the men.)

If the rape victim is a boy, that is different. Same-gender rape gets a different level of condemnation. The offender must be castrated! The offender must be killed now. The world is coming to an end. There are even calls saying, “God come fi yu worl.” (God, come for your world.)

We do well to understand these truths:

1. RAPE SHOULD BE GENDER-NEUTRAL

Many Jamaicans do not realise that in Jamaica, rape is not gender-neutral, object-neutral, nor orifice-neutral. In our beloved country, only a woman or girl may be considered raped by law. The political will to change this is challenged since some loud voices in the name of church do not wish to have the law changed.

2. HYPOCRISY SHOULD BE ADDRESSED

Notice that most of the rapists are known by the victims and survivors of the violation. Those offenders are often respected men since they are assumed to be not gay. We do our children a disservice in Jamaica, by lashing out against LGBT people versus sensitising children to be cautious regarding everyone, regardless of sexual orientation! But in Jamaica, a friendly assumed straight man is a holy man of God. It is only reasoned education that will help our people to understand that sexual orientation is not an indication of morality!

Historically, violence against woman and girls have been perpetrated in various contexts where even women do not realise that they too are serving the prevailing misogyny that ensures gender-based violence (GBV) and violence against women and girls. Interestingly, it also takes a deeper intellectual leap to appreciate that men are also victims and survivors of GBV. It becomes even more interesting when you realise that men who are considered to be more ‘feminine’ than ‘masculine’ are more likely to be victims of GBV, you will see that the earlier we address these matters, the better it will be for society.

In 2 Samuel 13:19-20, the incestuous rape of Tamar has resonance with Caribbean society’s open secret of rape within family contexts. “Tamar put ashes on her head and tore her long-sleeved garment which was on her; and she put her hand on her head and went away, crying aloud as she went. Then Absalom her brother said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? But now keep silent, my sister, he is your brother; do not take this matter to heart.” So, Tamar remained and was desolate in her brother Absalom’s house.”

Just imagine the feeling of hopelessness, abandonment, and disconsolation! Some dictionaries even define desolate with reference to being godforsaken! Maybe in an effort to deal with the shock and pain of rape, many survivors remain silent, while many who know, only break the silence to condemn the already violated individual.

We have an obligation as duty bearers to validate and respect any complaint about child abuse or rape in religious circles. Survivors deserve emotional and psychological support while being empowered to understand that they did nothing to cause this on themselves. Older survivors of rape could also do with some long overdue therapeutic engagement on the pain they have carried silently for so many years.

A helpful resource from Silent Screams Inc is this prayer from author, Susan D. Delaney, a survivor.

PRAYER FOR SURVIVORS

Compassionate and merciful Father, I thank you for this day. I thank you for the sunshine. I thank you for the shining of your son Jesus, whose Light shines in us and through us, touching every layer of our beings, body, mind, and spirit. I thank you for all the days of peace and love and light that you have given me in the past and I thank you for all of the days of peace and love and light that are to come.

I thank you for the gifts of the Holy Spirit that you gave me at baptism: Faith and hope and love. Knowledge and wisdom and discernment. And healing. Increase these gifts in me now, Lord. I have been hurt and broken, and I am a leaky vessel right now. I need constant filling. I know You love to help me, Lord, so help me now.

Heal me from the hurt. Restore me to wholeness.

I see myself whole and healed, radiant with Your love. Serving You.

I pray this prayer in the Name of Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit and I say, amen, it will be so.

Fr Sean Major-Campbell is an Anglican priest and advocate for human dignity and human rights. Send feedback to seanmajorcampbell@yahoo.com or columns@gleanerjm.com