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The Western Leader, Auckland,
January 15, 2002.
Perpetuating Myths
By Gordon Waugh
Your article on summer being dreaded by sex abuse counsellors (Jan 8) is
appalling nonsense which perpetuates the myths, exaggerations and belief
systems on which the sex abuse industry is based.
The claim that only 7.5 per cent of rapes are reported to the police is
ridiculous. It is impossible to know
how many events were NOT reported. They further claim that of reported rapes,
"only 30 per cent go to court, and of those, only 10 per cent result in
a conviction". Rubbish !
Ministry of Justice statistics show the average number of rape convictions
during the 1990 decade was 209 annually.
About half the accused (another 200 or so) were acquitted. The counsellors figures wrongly suggest
over 2,000 were charged and vast numbers of rapes were committed.
It was also said that women are surprised when police don't believe them. If
there were no false allegations, they would be believed. The fact that women
have made so many false allegations created a clear need for healthy
scepticism and a neutral, objective evaluation of the evidence. Some women
who have indulged in casual consensual sex, especially when they've been out
drinking, later regret the incident and convert it into a false allegation of
rape.
That young women "dress in skimpy clothing" and have "a right
to go out drinking" is indisputable.
But those rights incur responsibilities and demand common sense. Everyone has a right to go swimming, but
whose responsibility is it if the swimmer drowns ?
Ms Humphris' comment that she is "very aware that there are paedophiles
everywhere" is emotive claptrap.
Reliance on credible and sensible information, instead of sophistry and misinformation,
may have produced a more useful article.
Gordon Waugh
Whenuapai
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