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If the National Party's
political correctness eradicator, Wayne Mapp, needed an issue to justify his
role, then surely revelations this week about airline seating policies would
provide it. Aucklander Mark Worsley
says he was gobsmacked after being asked to shift seats on a Qantas flight
because an unaccompanied child had been placed beside him. Air New Zealand
admits to having a similar policy, in keeping with its role of temporary
in-flight guardians of children. Keeping children safe
is obviously paramount. However, it is difficult to see how this policy will
achieve that, particularly where domestic travel is concerned. Perhaps an
exception could be made where lights-off, long-haul travel is concerned. But
as a general policy, it is discriminatory, offensive and sends an appallingly
inappropriate message to society: that all men are potential child abusers
and should be treated as such. It would be interesting
to know how many unaccompanied minors had been sexually abused in the skies
above New Zealand before the policy was introduced. What are other passengers
doing while such attacks take place? Sleeping? Too captured by a magazine or
the view to note what is happening across the aisle? It could be argued that
paedophiles will grab any chance to establish contact with a potential victim
headed for the same city. However, there are far greater opportunities for
these disturbed individuals elsewhere. Even the Green Party,
more PC than most, says it will write to the Human Rights Commission asking
it to intervene in what stacks up as a clear breach of the Human Rights Act. The airlines need to
realise that children are more likely to suffer abuse in their own homes or
familiar, everyday environments than anywhere else. They should revoke their
absurd policies before the law forces them to do so. |
