BY R.D.
While most people were busy with jobs, family, and other responsibilities.
Earlier today, I began browsing the news to get a feel of what was happening in the world. Numerous articles and images covered a range of topics, from terrorist attacks in France, Kuwait, and Tunisia that killed over 30 British citizens, to Greece’s financial strains, which threaten the global economy, to Puerto Rico’s efforts to repay a reported 72 billion in debt, despite the fact that the year is only 3 months old.
In addition, the Confederate Flag reignited a fierce debate on both sides with strong feelings about what it stands for. After a white supremacist teen killed nine black people, should the flag stay up or be taken down?
They were at a prayer meeting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina, where he hoped for a race war. Established in 1816, this was the first independent black denomination in the United States.
The news cycle has been pulsating as I continue to read. An even more divisive issue occurred when some evangelical preachers stepped to the pulpit to protest a few decisions regarding gay marriage equality.
There were also bets on Usain Bolt, the Jamaican sprinter, and his expected pace this year.
The Break-in these News Feeds
While society grapples with socioeconomic, discrimination, crime, justice, and occasionally uplifting stories that have the potential to change the course of a nation or a community, we move on regardless of location, what is going on in the world around us, these issues quickly dissolve or are forgotten.
But the most memorable news item for me came from a four-minute film.
The same thing will happen in our society’s backyard after you finish reading this opinion. As long as it isn’t dealt with, it will keep coming back.
Yes, sexual assault is a very serious crime that can have both short-term and long-term effects on victims and those who love and care for them.
This isn’t just a problem in Jamaica, though. It’s a problem all over the world, as many experts say.
Her story is one of many, and it is a silent crisis.
I was horrified hearing an undercover operation in Kingston, Jamaica, in which a 13-year-old schoolgirl was sold for cash by her uncle to a Caucasian male posing as a tourist who was sold for sex by her uncle.
Despite the fact that he was arrested, this incident will have long-term effects on her mental health.
Her desire to regain her self-confidence, resilience, and beauty is hampered by ongoing emotional pain, as many experts have noted.
Many communities, in my opinion, are powerless to stop these crimes because they are afraid and lack the funds or resources to do so.
Even more difficult are individuals who are targeted and abused because of their sexual orientation, as well as some’s re-victimization attitude, as if they deserved it.
In our society, discussions about these cases frequently begin with an interrogation of the victim.
“She could have escaped the situation or nothing bad could have happened to her.”
She was too easygoing and wore provocative clothing.
What was the source of her abuse? ….. Why didn’t she just leave?
But no one ever asked him why he chose her from home school, church, or in the community to engage in that behavior.
While this is a global perspective, it is a local mindset.
Local headlines continue to emerge, and I’ve lost count of the number of new incidents on these shores and overseas in which a beloved daughter, cousin, niece, aunt, or sister is kidnapped, abused, and murdered while families wait for answers in vain.
They are now in a file or closed because the chances of solving these crimes are getting less and less likely with each passing day.
What is the status of the tragic 2014 kidnapping of around 270 Chibok schoolgirls by Boko Haram, one of Nigeria’s most dangerous extremist groups? Several of these girls will likely never see their families again, and there will be more.
Even if Boko Haram has not marched into a classroom or church in the Caribbean or elsewhere, kidnapped 200 or more girls and boys for whatever philosophy or sexual beliefs they have, and escaped to the bush or hills, if your local community loses a student, boy or girl, or an average citizen to this heinous act, one a day, it adds up.
Many academics and advocates agree that this isn’t simply a Nigerian issue. Boys and girls will be taken away from their families frequently, and it is a global concern.
For many families, the suffering continues.
Furthermore, how many young women in your community between the ages of 12 and 17 dropped out of high school because they became pregnant, and even if the sex offender was incarcerated, some are still out on the streets on bail engaging in the same activities?
Due to social pressure and the stigma associated with shame, some of these kids are being sent to live with another family member, despite their high potential. Another dream has been dashed due to a scarcity of resources and assistance.
Additionally, how many students and adults have been reported missing, abused, or murdered, with their cases remaining unsolved?
A large number of predatory individuals who prey on children without their consent, such as serial pedophiles, pimps, and sexual predators, go unpunished.
These concerns, according to many experts, entail further anguish and re-victimization for the family that is still seeking closure.
Occasionally, a member of the family knows the truth or the person who did it. Many people stay quiet or defend the person who did it out of fear of vigilante justice or financial difficulties to get support.
It is not an answer if someone says she or he asked for it. Arguing about who “should have” and “might have” is not a strategy. They are victims, and these communities must be able to assist them without making them feel bad about themselves.
Mind control to obtain access to their victims
As a group, many victims started out by supporting their friends who were in prostitution. They can relate to another runaway who was neglected or abused at home.
There are numerous traffickers who will befriend your family, gain their trust, and promise a better life, only to sell your children into slavery and early marriage.
Victims’ economic, homelessness, drug and/or alcohol misuse, family strife, or runaways will be exploited by the perpetrators.
These individuals usually prey on both local and international students, in addition to any other susceptible individuals.
Sexual predators will offer to pay for school supplies, candies, dinners, a shopping spree, or give you a ride in a fancy car to lure you into their sex games.
They may live above your flat, share your boundary, and appear to be a pleasant neighbor.
These serial predators are charismatic; they pray to your children and will convince and argue that they are unloved; your father despises you, which is why he is trying to molest you; and your mother permitted it to happen. Additionally, they will visit foster homes and offer gifts.
Additionally, a family member, guardian, or even an official who is sworn to protect you may have acquired your trust and misused their authority.
These abusers are frequently part of a wider network. Criminals commonly pose as regular people.
It doesn’t matter where you live or what you do: They’re on your city bus and taxis, or in your church choir, or in your child’s classroom, and may even be preaching to you this Sunday or on any other day you go to church.
Unfortunately, many pedophiles, serial predators, and pimps roaming the streets grooming your sons and daughters to satisfy their behavior often go undetected.
What’s troubling is that some sexual predators target victims solely for sexual fantasies and do not always proceed to exploit the victim on a much greater scale.
Occasionally, it may be a kind of vengeance for unresolved previous trauma. In some instances, they may be suffering from a mental illness or it may simply be pedophilia, or it may be a member of a gang that utilizes this act of violence against any defenseless individual.
A mentally ill sexual assault predator will go to considerable measures to satisfy his or her deep and sexually stimulating desires. Occasionally, the sexual act is secondary to the enjoyment gained from inflicting agony on a victim.
Frequently, the data is not included in high-profile stories.
Approximately 800,000 women and children are trafficked across international borders each year.
According to research, more than 90% work for pimps. “More than half of all children aged 5–17 years, or approximately one billion children worldwide, are victims of violence, including sexual exploitation.”
These fleeing victims frequently don’t have a voice and need a place where they can open out about their experiences without fear of being stigmatized.
Only 1% of these cases are prosecuted, according to the findings of recent studies.
There is someone who goes away every 90 seconds in most parts of the world, according to data. In fact, experts say that boys are also victims of sexual abuse and exploitation, but at a much slower rate than girls.
Each year, three million people travel to have sex with children. Certain individuals do not conduct the sex act but rather take advantage of the victim’s financial situation and the potential to sell them like illegal substances such as narcotics, or what experts call contemporary slavery.
The often-untold truth
This is not meant to be a criticism of anyone’s system or nation, but rather to draw attention to the need to devote more time and resources to disrupting these operations.
According to popular belief, child sex abuse and trafficking isn’t just a problem in Southeast Asia. It happens all over the world. In order to finish their orders, customers only have to go to countries like Nepal, Indonesia, or India to go there.
There are still a lot of people who are being trafficked and exploited for sex all over Asia and even Western Europe, like Bulgaria.
Additional UN assessments stated that a portion of Africa has developed into a big issue in recent years, and numerous reports indicate an increase in the number of missing children, whether kidnapped or sold in this sector.
Countries such as Cameroon, Senegal, Chad, Kenya, Malawi, and other Central African countries were mentioned by experts. Over 40% of adolescent females who are trafficked are compelled to marry, according to these reports.
Nearer than you believe
Additionally, it is global, and numerous regions around the Caribbean and Latin America, particularly the Southern region, have become exotic destinations for illicit purposes involving sex trafficking subterranean international tourism, both imported and exported.
The notion that all people come to these islands’ coastlines primarily for relaxation and positive vibes is a far-fetched notion.
According to experts, sexual assaults, statutory rapes, and the exploitation of juvenile girls and boys are serious issues, and there is an abundance of vendors and customers willing to pay a price.
Experts noted that areas with a high concentration of missing young girls and sexual assaults will have a high concentration of sexual predators grooming for human trafficking and other local exploitation.
In an earlier opinion piece about a young woman who was murdered in Jamaica (See data on missing children every year).
Today’s data may differ from the date that the opinion was published, and for more up-to-date information, you must visit the countries’ national registers separately.
This is not limited to poor and developing countries. It is, however, a pandemic.
Profits, risks, and struggles
Many criminologists consider sexual exploitation to be a lucrative organized crime enterprise with low stakes and high-profit margins.
Migration from Latin America to the Caribbean is estimated by the International Organization for Migration to be worth $516 billion a year.
Fear and anxiety are common in families who don’t know what happened to their loved ones, experts say. It can be hard to break down possible networks in these kinds of cases.
When these young women hear the words “Stitches get stitches,” they are frequently fearful of speaking up.
“To put it simply, if they speak up, they will be harmed.”
However, there have been arrests in numerous locations, but according to some experts, much more needs to be done, and cooperation with other nations will be critical in dismantling this network.
(Reuters) In 2015, a statewide operation resulted in the arrest of over 1,100 people for allegedly preying on children. In order to entice young people into prostitution, they both use the internet. Former employees of the Boys and Girls Club and the military were among those detained in Texas.
According to reports from the BBC, an organized crime ring in Oxford was busted at the same time as 37 people were detained for the sex trafficking of underage girls.
Keeping the risk to the community to a bare minimum.
For offenders, this encompasses everything from sanctions to counseling, from psychosexual diagnosis to public risk assessment. Victim protection and assistance are also included.
Keeping the victims’ identities secret is essential. In some poor and developed countries, new technology and training have made it easier to reduce risk and close cases, but many still lack the necessary resources.
Despite the fact that these sex offenders will not be able to age out of society, the community can lessen the threat to public safety by providing effective treatment and constant supervision.
The identities of those found guilty must be made public once they have been sentenced. Even if they’re looking for jobs, newcomers to your community will be on the lookout for potential victims. It increases public awareness of at-risk families around the country.
There is a delicate balance to be struck between vigilante justice and the need for therapy and a return to employment in order to have a respectable life.
Disparities between rich and poor, as well as a lack of resources, make prosecution difficult in many poor and developing countries, notwithstanding national and international laws against this practice.
Deterrence tools are critical for preventing visitors from exploiting an open-door policy that allows teenagers to explore their hotel rooms and be traded as if they were a commodity on the stock exchange.
Even if a country accepts legalized prostitution, some argue that the punishment will be less severe. However, this does not diminish the dangers that these teenagers face.
This is a complicated subject that frequently blurs the line between rape and consent, and it cannot be addressed in silence or by re-victimization when survivors come forward to share their stories.
Efforts to fight these challenges rely heavily on collaboration and information sharing among professionals who represent these victims.
There’s no way to fix this problem by hiding in the shadows.
Individuals cannot be segregated on the basis of cultural characteristics, where they live, shame, or an image woven into taboo must be discredited or with strict laws and swift sanctions.
Accountability I believe that the unwanted calling, groping, unpleasant environment, and objectification of these adolescent kids send a strong message.
These young people, especially those in high school and college; even while they work. These communities, from the next-door neighbor’s house to the pulpit, have to report any suspicious activity that they see or hear about.
Identify that you have a systematic issue and put in place measures to aid these horrific sex criminals who prey on your sons and daughters and other children.
The question I have is whether or not there is an Anosognosia condition in the world today.
There are a lot of dark-colored cars near these high schools and universities. How often do young people get into them and get kidnapped? Some of them are still missing or have been found dead.
To keep students and the general public safe, there should be laws against using 100% black tinted car windows, as well as pick-up and drop-off zones that include public areas for students and well-lit areas that are less likely to be targeted by crime, so that there are no hidden places.
These areas should have public cameras as well as tracking devices on commercial vehicles in this day and age.
They need a massive campaign to inform students to avoid these vehicles regardless of how quickly they arrive at their destinations, and perhaps transportation is limited to school buses only or pre-authorization for pick-up from schools.
They’re worried about their safety, their pride, and the fact that they don’t have enough protection if they speak out about underage students being lowered into them according to some local sources.
Furthermore, many of them feel that the people operating these vehicles have legitimate licenses and may be familiar with these pupils
Several of these gorgeous coasts may be home to statutory rapes, and the lack of enforcement and hefty penalties begs the notion of whether she voluntarily accepted the invitation, and that mentality reflects minimization.
Regroup because quiet is deafening:
Lack of money and technical skills can be a problem, but holding elected leaders and law enforcement personnel who have pledged to protect the public accountable is essential if these cases are to be solved successfully.
There will be another public statement from your elected representatives when these crimes occur, but the victims and their families will receive little or no long-term aid.
People with information who are afraid to come out because of the personal ramifications of doing so need community support, as I’ve already indicated.
This is about more than a single vote; it is about accountability, holding elected officials, and public safety accountable.
If more people rally against sexual predators’ crimes in the same way they did for politicians, artists, and marriage equality, more children can be rescued from harm.
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