A Question of Accountability
Submitted by Triple Q on December 11 2000 22:09:48
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One of the girls on a survivor board that I frequent is currently on a "suicide watch". She's very distraught and has frequently talked of ending it in the past. She's 16 and was molested by her step-father from ages 6-14. Her step-father was arrested and is currently in jail but she's scared that he'll get out and come back. An impossibility as her mother also posts there and has stated in no uncertain terms that he will NOT come back. But it's still scary for her. I read what she is going through on that board, then come back here and read mikey's little speeches about how children should have the right to decide what to do in their own lives. I'm not certain that he's wrong, but I'm also not certain that he's right either. To my way of thinking, giving a child the ability to decide what to do with their lives isn't the same as giving the child the knowledge and experience to make decisions that will not live with them their entire lives. Now, I'm not saying that rape or manipulation into sex (which is, from what I've been told by the girl, obviously the case here) is the same as a loving sexual relationship between two people, but is there really a difference? Does the adult who takes an active role in sex with a child really know that the child will be unaffected by it? Most pedophiles profess to have an "age of attraction" and readily admit that beyond that age the child is no longer attractive to them. I have to wonder at this. I'm attracted to all ages. My relationships with the children that I'm attracted to do not end at a certain age. There are 30-year-olds in my life now that I was attracted to when they were 10...and there are 6- 8-year-olds in my life now that I know I will still know when they grow into adults. Attraction isn't based simply on sex. It is based on the entirety of the relationship. I've known kids that I was attracted to that were so obnoxious that I wouldn't have anything to do with them...and still don't. But there are a number of pedophiles that admit that, once the attraction's gone, so is there interest in the child. Where's the accountability in that? Which brings me back to my original point. The real question I wanted to ask is: Who's accountable when things like this happen? Does the pedophile who's having sex with a child of 6 CARE what the 16-year-old is going to be like? Will he even be around to see it? Jail time's one thing, but he's only being held accountable in the physical realm. Where's the spiritual accountability? How is the pedophile held accountable for the emotional needs of the "future" child? Btw, since she is a Christian, prayers would be gratefully appreciated. Her name's Christin (I can't give any more, sorry). |
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