DAVID McKERVEY,
Madam, - In your Editorial of January 18th, you write: "If our first priority is to protect children, then surely we should encourage those who seek out pornographic images of children, and might be tempted by such images to go on to abuse, to seek help at the earliest opportunity." Much of what has been written and said about the Tim Allen case and other similar cases focuses on the punishment meted out and the squeamish and sensational details of the cases. Little is reported on the question of the nature of the desire of child pornography.
Joe Humphreys's portrays Allen as a good father, husband and a decent human being (Weekend Review, January 18th). What, then, drives such a man to seek out such images when he knows the terrible injustice and pain which goes into the making of them? The obsessive desire must be so strong as to subliminate the suffering contained therein.
Olive Travers of COSC, a treatment and prevention service based in Donegal, says: "While there are many and complex reasons why the offender commits this crime, the fundamental basis for sexual abuse is the position of greater power that the offender holds in relation to the victim."
Society's rules have rightly established a very strong boundary around child sexuality. Prisoners themselves recognise child abuse as a crime that deserves summary justice within their own community. (Is this due to the abuse that they themselves suffered and led them ultimately to a life of crime?) Yet society has become much more overtly sexual - the tabloids titillate and then express utter outrage at perpetrators of abuse. Society accepts adult pornography. There is a well defined legal boundary between adult and child pornography. Does the moral boundary also fit into this definition? What is the nature of abuse in adult pornography? Sexuality is a deeply primitive and fundamental part of the essence of humanity and thus is difficult to rationalise or analyse. The encephalisation of man has led us to introduce all kinds of moral boundaries. This distinguishes us from the rest of the animal kingdom.
The Bonobo apes indulge in sexual activity throughout all of their community, from very young to very old. Is there a persistent genetic link that has crossed over to some of our men?
There needs to be more open exploration of the causes of child sex abuse. Greater understanding will give us the opportunity for greater prevention. This does not have to lend any legitimacy to the crimes. It must occur in tandem with punishment and protection. Perhaps Judge Michael Pattwell could have added a further item of restitution to Tim Allen's sentence: that he should write about the nature of his crime and inform the public of the results of his ongoing therapy so that we can have a fuller understanding of the nature of paedophilia and so prevent more young lives being destroyed by it.
DAVID McKERVEY,
- Yours, etc.,
Ederney,
Co Fermanagh.