Turning a blind eye to sexual abuse of boys and men

By Jaevion Nelson

Jamaica has a very antiquated definition of 'sexual intercourse' that does not in any way represent the gamut of sexual experiences people have been practising for centuries. Of course, the more prudish among us might find some of these practices quite perverse, kinky, impure and/or immoral.

The Sexual Offences Act 2009 defines sexual intercourse as "the penetration of the vagina of one person by the penis of another person". How limiting! Consequently, rape is therefore curiously considered as being perpetrated only against females. In Section 3(1), it explicitly states "a man commits the offence of rape if he has sexual intercourse with a woman (a) without the woman's consent; and (b) knowing that the woman does not consent to sexual intercourse or recklessly not caring whether the woman consents or not".

Do our legislators really think only females can be raped and that only males can perpetrate such brutal acts? Men can be raped as well. By both men and women. People can be anally and orally raped as well.

I didn't grow up hearing much about sexual molestation, abuse and violence of males. Apparently, it's emasculating to think that a man can be raped. I only heard about such incidents when it involved a man and a boy. One of the first incidents I learned about was about September 2000 when one of my friends was raped by an older man.

The situation was handled quite poorly. He didn't get the support he needed. Shamefully, this was never (by law) a rape case, given the current limitations in The Sexual Offences Act. There are many others like him. We can't truly address sexual violence in Jamaica if we continue to turn a blind eye to sexual abuse of boys and men. It's frightening to think that if I were to be raped, I could never take the matter to the court as an incident of rape (which has a punishment of up to life imprisonment). How would you feel if you, your son, husband, nephew or male cousin were raped? Would it not be distressing that you/they will never truly get the justice they deserve? That the perpetrator will never feel the full extent of the law?

Silent victims

We have to be concerned. Too many males are suffering in silence. Too many have been robbed of their innocence and their peace of mind. Too many are too afraid to seek support because the system is biased and woefully ill-equipped to cater to the issue of sexual abuse and violence against men and boys.

A few Sundays ago, I read a horrifying news report in the Jamaica Observer about a 15-year-old boy in a most harrowing situation. The adolescent has lived in several places of safety for children and has been raped multiple times in seven of these facilities. He has now chosen to reside on the streets as a consequence of his experiences.

We can't build a nation if we continue to play blind to the prevalence of intergenerational relationships in our community. And let's be honest, yes, some of these children are sent by their parents, some are lured by adults and some by consent - no pressure whatsoever - for one or more reasons, including to support themselves financially. Or just to buy the latest smartphone. However, the reasons for these children to enter these relationships should not be used to ignore the illegality of these incidents.

Official Reports

Between 2007 and 2011, the Office of the Children's Registry (OCR) received 7,245 reports of sexual abuse of our children. The incidents reported related to oral sex, incest, exhibitionism, buggery, rape, and fondling. There is also an unspecified, which related to 918 of the reports. Of the 7,245 reports received, 429 of them were reports of sexual abuse against males. I highly doubt these cases represent the true number of violations being perpetuated against our children, boys especially.

The upcoming review of the Sexual Offences Act later this year is an excellent opportunity for us to broaden the definition of sex that includes anal and oral sex; one that doesn't render one gender as being powerless to the other. This time, we must ensure there is true equality before the law. It must provide provisions that allow men to seek justice for being raped.

Jaevion Nelson is a youth development, HIV and human rights advocate. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and jaevion@gmail.com.