By Dr Mark F. Montebello
LIKE GUCCI WARES and Versace goods, crimes have their age;
and criminal convictions their fashion. An affluent society
unravels crimes akin to its affluence. Drug-traffickers seem
to have finally made their beat. As in other countries before
us, paedophiles are next on the list. It is these who now are
gripping our fantastic crotchets of justice. Paedophilia does
tremendous, and frequently irreversible, harm. It has been
going on for decades and decades. Why should it only now come
to our attention? asks Dr. Mark Montebello in this article.
Are we beginning to be hysterical about it?
It has now already been going for the best two months, and
it seems to be gaining ground. It shall probably be a long
time before we be cured of this new frenzy. It is the hysteria
of hunting down paedophiles, an affliction which is slowly
but surely gripping the nation (and its notoriously weird
imagination). Not that paedophilia is in any way correct
- for it is wrong, very wrong, to be sure - but we seem to
be getting at this with a bizarre kind of acumen which may
preoccupy anyone interested in being rational.
The aftermath of the Marsa case
Paedophiliac criminal cases have rarely been
mentioned publicly in the very recent past. Not that there were
no such court
proceedings going on. I myself was present in court for a couple
of sittings. It seems that journalists had had decided that
they were not of any news value; the public was believed not
to be interested. So it may have been, but not anymore. The ‘Marsa
case’ may have triggered the high concern of recent times. On the morning of Tuesday, June 25, 1995, two boys (aged 12
and 11) from Zejtun claimed to have been molested by a man
at ‘il-Marsa ta’ l-Inglizi’. On the following
day the presumed paedophile, whose name was then not disclosed
in newspaper reports, was recognized by the boys at the very
limits of where the alleged crime was committed. Though the
man claimed strongly that the morning before he had been at
the Birgu market, he was arraigned to court accused of the
crime. The case was given ample coverage by the press. Three
years later, on May 7, 1998, he was found to be innocent. His
name had been shamed in vain.
Almost immediately, the media discharged a whole series of
reports covering the theme of paedophiles. On May 25 two separate
cases were widely reported, and another case from Gozo was
reported three days later, on May 28. The day before, Justice
Minister Gulia announced a new commission to examine methods
and procedures applicable to the hearing of testimonies of
minors during investigations and legal procedures relating
to sexual abuse. The Minister also stated that the government
was considering changing penalties for sexual child offenders
by providing psychological assistance rather than increasing
jail terms.
The day after, while Labour MP Maria Camilleri declared in
parliament that child-molestation by paedophiles in Malta was
of ‘a serious proportion’, another Labour MP, Dr
Adrian Vassallo, called for severer jail sentences for guilty
paedophiles. He also protested against publicly withholding
offenders’ names. Three days later, It-Torca of May 31
splashed on its front page the alarming news that in Gozo there
existed a whole ‘circle of child-abusers’ involving
professional people! The Malta Independent’s leader for
that same day also put in a word for ‘tougher penalties
and for speedier procedures’. It headed its editorial
with the unpleasant title ‘In the box of humiliation’.
The heat was already on.
The children’s crusade
The following Tuesday, June 2, saw the orchestrated
protest-march by school children (a sort of children’s’ crusade)
holding placards with the incorrect words ‘LE ghall-abbuz
mit-tfal’ (NO to abuse from children; they meant to say ‘Le
ghall-abbuz lit-tfal, No to child-abuse). Amongst the 2,000
people reported to have taken part in the protest-march, there
was Education Minister Bartolo, St. Venera Mayor Caruana and
Parish Priest Vella, MUT President Bencini, and various councilors,
club presidents, teachers, and, of course, the children themselves,
who never fail to enjoy a day out of school. During the march, parents at St. Venera were putting up yet
another protest, this time against 13-year old child-mates
of a couple of boys allegedly ‘indecently abused’ by
them. No action was taken by the authorities, claimed the parents,
and the children were terrorized to go back to school! Obviously,
Education authorities assured the parents that action was taken,
but quite understandably the parents did not believe them and
started considering legal action (against whom?). It later
transpired (according to The Malta Independent of June 11)
that it was not the children who were put on, but rather the
parents themselves.
Being awfully assiduous to report child-molesting (why? one
may ask), The Malta Independent of June 7 carried an interesting
article by Dr Robert Attard entitled ‘No easy escape
routes for paedophiles’ (p.29). Quoting an 1897 case,
the article concentrated on the problem of abused children
giving evidence in court. Two days after the article appeared,
Nationalist MP Giovanna Debono added her voice with those of
her other honourable colleagues. Society, she stated, should
not be passive when faced with increasing child-abuse. Obviously
the increment was, according to Ms. Debono, the government’s
fault.
Meanwhile The Malta Independent did not relent its barrage. ‘Priest
accused of sex attacks on orphans’ read a large header
in its June 11 issue. Only the priest was English, and the
case in England. What does it matter, isn’t there where
we’re leading to!? You see, first fathers, then catechists,
then teachers, then priests - an elegant crescendo. But not
quite swell. On that same day, the papers in Maltese revealed
a case of child-abuse by adoptive parents!
Finally, while the Association of Social Workers added its
condemnation to the din of this agitation, the Prim Minister,
Dr. Alfred Sant, informed the House of Parliament that as from
1989, 14 persons were sentenced to prison on child-abuse: 1
in 1989; 1 in 1990; none in 1991; none in 1992; 1 in 1993;
3 in 1994; 2 in 1995; 3 in 1996; 2 in 1997; 1 this year, while
4 await trial in prison.
The numbers seem small enough, do they? I am sure they are
likely to increase in the not too distant future. We may soon
all be witnesses (and possible collaborators) of a witch-hunt
while gradually the paedophile-hysteria seizes the nation.
Shall it be panic, or what?
It has been stated more than once (even by MPs, if that persuades
you a little more) that we dealt with drug-traffickers here
in Malta in a sort of panic. Some of us are likely to agree
that we were rather hysterical over the matter, brusquely eliminating
the distinction between user and pusher, inordinately increasing
prison sentences, passionately considering the passing of a
miserable joint over the border as importation, scrupulously
prosecuting over a few grams of cannabis, and so forth. This
was the craze of the eighties and nineties. Performance and
efficiency in various sectors were calculated according to
these standards. Whether the results have left us better-off
I do not know. The point is, we tried ... possibly even over-reacting
negatively. Our statistics would have maybe looked better if
we acted more rationally. Anyway, paedophiles may be in for the same counteraction,
if only we think twice before committing ourselves. Though
I like Minister Gulia’s comment that providing psychological
assistance to paedophiles rather than increasing their jail
terms may be a better course to take, I understand that he
may not be likely to hold to his guns when pressure is really
on. Back in 1993, ex-Minister Louis Galea used to talk like
this in regard to the civil prisons. And yet, less than a year
later, he had to eat his words. Public hysteria was then mounting,
and unfortunately the Minister had to readdress the whole issue
and pull back his step. When it comes to legislating one should
not blame any Minister if he reasons things out politically.
Suddenly, as if awaken from our slumber, we are becoming conscious
that children are being abused in more ways than one. Being
a people which still likes to play the catholic devotee, the
sexual part of the story is that which is likely to capture
our attention the most. Child labour, child delinquency, child
bullying, children serving the drug industry, unschooled children,
smoking children, alcohol-consuming children, child violence,
child mobs, children engaged in dog- and turkey-fights, are
frequently more ignored than addressed. It is rare that any
of these hit the headlines of our newspapers. But sex, well,
yes, that’s heavy. Let’s do something about it,
and quick.
Any ghosts around?
It’s not that I am opposed to curbing the vice of paedophiles,
for God’s sake. What I am opposed to (once it has finally
alerted our mindfulness) is dealing with the problem hysterically.
The Marsa case should make us abundantly conscious of the fact
that children may misjudge. The two Zejtun boys could have
actually hopelessly ruined an otherwise innocent man. They
believed they were absolutely sure, and yet they were totally
mistaken. Let us not be rush in such cases, or dash to hasty
conclusions. The police should not be pushed by a hysterical
public to the point of demonstrating their performance and
efficiency by the number of paedophiles apprehended. In cases
where children are involved, the public may instinctively act
very, but very, irrationally, as in the St. Venera instance,
and consequently make very cruel demands on the legislator
and the policeman. When we start to talk of ghosts, it is very probable that
people will start to see some around. The same with devils
and paedophiles. Journalists and newspaper editors must not
alarm with their reporting. They must be most extremely cautious
not to terrify people in such a way as to bring them to a dismal
state of frenzy. Most people may only want a few reassuring
words from the press to set out for some foolishness. It is
abundantly well known that people usually assuage their blood-thirsty
avenging instinct by impeaching vulnerable persons and use
them as ‘scape-goats’. The Christians, Jews, addicts,
madmen and madwomen, handicapped persons, delinquents, characterpaths
and homosexuals have all passed through this ruinous experience.
In one historical period or another they were all considered
to be witches, possessed by demons, deviants, sick, marginated,
outlaws, criminals, sinners, unproductive or socially unsuitable.
So-called paedophiles may be next.
I am not saying that paedophilia should be somehow tolerated,
or in any way considered lightly; or that children are never
to be believed. I am simply reaffirming the age-old belief
that we should severely condemn the sin, but never the sinner.
Let us be rational
In the future, no doubt more and more cases of paedophilia
shall be unearthed and prosecuted, indeed one or more involving
some priest or politician. I am sure (and actually know of
some cases myself) that many people may come forward to speak
of their horrid and appalling experience which so violently
sealed their childhood and irreversibly changed their life
completely. But again I say: let us be rational. Let us create
ways and means how to deal with such cases in a real effective
way for offended and offender alike, without yielding to the
temptation of putting up a show with every new case which swims
into our den. Let us look for fire in places from where smoke
has been repeatedly noticed, i.e. in pseudo-family environments.
Furthermore, let us deal privately with accused paedophiles
(even in court) and let us not imprudently and injuriously
publicize the presumed innocent at least until s/he is found
to be guilty. Above all, let us not make the mistake of considering
anyone guilty until s/he is proved innocent. And let us not
imagine that which is not proven.
May we be serious in dealing with paedophilia,
real serious, professional. It avails no-one when we sacrifice
our head to
our instincts.
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