Sex Attackers Are Often Friends Or Family, Thai Group Says

[webfact]

Sex attackers are often friends or family, group says

By The Nation

Nearly half the victims of sex abuse who turned to the Friends of Women Foundation for help suffered at the hands of people close to them - friends, relatives or neighbours.

"A father, for example, sexually harassed his own 10-year-old daughter," a foundation social worker Patcharee Junhirun said at a seminar yesterday.

The group held the seminar in collaboration with the Thai Health Promotion Foundation to try to raise awareness of sex crimes.

Last year, 775 abused women sought counselling from the foundation - 83 of them after sexual assaults. Seven of these victims were gang raped.

Many sex attackers blamed alcohol for the failure to control their desires, according to the Friends of Women Foundation.

"The youngest victim was just three years old, while the oldest attacker was 78," Patcharee said.

Sexual attacks were clearly on the rise, she said. Last year, the number of victims coming to the foundation was 83, up 11 per cent compared to 2008.

Patcharee said 18 per cent of these sex abuse victims last year were harassed at work.

"Some employers drugged their workers or used guns to violate the victims," the social worker said.

Some civil servants who were sexually-harassed spoke out about their ordeals and pursued both criminal and disciplinary complaints against their attackers. However, they were often regarded by colleagues as rebellious.

Assoc Prof Boonserm Hutabaedya, from Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, said failure to speak up would increase the risk of repeated attacks.

To ease the problem, Boonserm said all workplaces should review the risk of sexual harassment and set up a panel to receive complaints.

"There should be an independent organisation to handle such cases too, so that victims don't have to be afraid of the attackers' influence," he said, "Clear punishment should also be laid down."

Boonserm said there should be a database of sexual crimes so that people could examine the risks they faced and take action before it was 'too late'.

-- The Nation 2010-08-10

[geriatrickid]

Nice to see that that there is agreement with a consensus that was reached in the last century in other countries.

Perhaps the next story will discuss the need for access to affordable medical care and social services in rural areas.

Nothing like keeping up with the times.

[BWPattaya]

Whenever a stranger abducts a child, or offends against someone in any way, parents clamour for more information about sex offenders and access to sex offender registers. What they do not realise, or choose to ignore is that the huge majority of offending is committed by family members, friends, babysitters and neighbours.

So, welcome, Thailand, to the real world.

[F4UCorsair]

Surprise, surprise!!! Is Thailand just discovering this???

[hoaker]

Sexual Harrassment is a rebellious act. I hope the judge aint stupid enough to believe this.

[slapout]

The solution to all wrongs, set up a Panel/committee to review the accusation. To go along with this, maybe the local policeman should be a member as well as the business owner, family matriarch of the accused, etc. Where do they find the brain trust people who have the solutions to the various problems encountered in this country?

[Zolt]

As if rape wasn't ugly enough as it is. Worst of all, this is often how the offenders get away from the law: police and even judges are reluctant to mess with family business - and if the victim's a minor the odds are she won't even be heard.

[Jingthing]

The vast majority of sexual molestation criminals are indeed familiar to the family of the victim (or the father himself) and also note contrary to the myths held by many, the vast majority of the crimes are HETEROSEXUAL in nature.

Edited August 10, 2010 by Jingthing

[Scully]

The vast majority of sexual molestation criminals are indeed familiar to the family of the victim (or the father himself) and also note contrary to the myths held by many, the vast majority of the crimes are HETEROSEXUAL in nature.

I have really no idea where this nonsensical post came from. I think you will find these myths are not actually held by many and are just in your own head.

Heterosexual's outnumber the homosexual population thus meaning they are going to offend more.

Your post states "held by many" when it should state "held by a minority".

[way2muchcoffee]

The vast majority of sexual molestation criminals are indeed familiar to the family of the victim (or the father himself) and also note contrary to the myths held by many, the vast majority of the crimes are HETEROSEXUAL in nature.

I have really no idea where this nonsensical post came from. I think you will find these myths are not actually held by many and are just in your own head.

Heterosexual's outnumber the homosexual population thus meaning they are going to offend more.

Your post states "held by many" when it should state "held by a minority".

The world population is pushing 7 billion people. A minority taken from a group this size would constitute many many people.

Edited August 10, 2010 by way2muchcoffee

[Jingthing]

The vast majority of sexual molestation criminals are indeed familiar to the family of the victim (or the father himself) and also note contrary to the myths held by many, the vast majority of the crimes are HETEROSEXUAL in nature.

I have really no idea where this nonsensical post came from. I think you will find these myths are not actually held by many and are just in your own head.

Heterosexual's outnumber the homosexual population thus meaning they are going to offend more.

Your post states "held by many" when it should state "held by a minority".

My language was fine, sir. Held by many does not imply in any way a minority OR a majority; it simply means many people hold those views. I stand by my assertion, these false myths demonizing gays are INDEED held by many, that is a fact. All you have to do is read the flames against gays almost every time there is a news story about a homosexually oriented pedo arrest and you will see my correct point. Cheers. Edited August 10, 2010 by Jingthing

[Scully]

The vast majority of sexual molestation criminals are indeed familiar to the family of the victim (or the father himself) and also note contrary to the myths held by many, the vast majority of the crimes are HETEROSEXUAL in nature.

I have really no idea where this nonsensical post came from. I think you will find these myths are not actually held by many and are just in your own head.

Heterosexual's outnumber the homosexual population thus meaning they are going to offend more.

Your post states "held by many" when it should state "held by a minority".

My language was fine, sir. Held by many does not imply in any way a minority OR a majority; it simply means many people hold those views. I stand by my assertion, these false myths demonizing gays are INDEED held by many, that is a fact. All you have to do is read the flames against gays almost every time there is a news story about a homosexually oriented pedo arrest and you will see my correct point. Cheers.

I agree with you however it just comes across as if you have a chip on your shoulder regarding homophobia.

The news article stated nothing about sexuality.

I could say something along the lines of many people believe correctly that a large amount of pedophilia in Thailand is done by homosexuals.

It is not an untruth its just missleading.

I don't wish to dwell on it so lets move on as I do know you are correct that hetrosexual abuse is the majority. Cheers.

Edited August 10, 2010 by Scully

[Jingthing]

OK, agreed, lets move on.

[cup-O-coffee]

Another media report that separates the cro magnon from the infinitely innocent vessel of purity and joy.

It is my view that since the women of this land raise the boys, that they should bear the burden of guilt over how these boys behave once they become physically capable of overpowering the woman.

I cannot count the times I have witnessed the following:

The Thai boy punching, slapping, cursing the mother for reasons no simpler than he disagrees with her. No correction from the other end.

The Thai boys never experiencing corporal punishment over behavior that will augment over time. No correction from the other end.

The Thai boys being doted upon to the point that any human would feel superior to all others. No correction from the other end.

The Thai boys who throw insane tantrums at any moment, in any location, in public if it suits them and they disagree with the status quo. No correction from the other end.

The Thai boys who insist on being the first in line, the first to receive, the first to get any positive attentions, etc. etc. ad nauseum. No correction from the other end.

The Thai boys being mentored by adult boys who lie, cheat, steal, commit adultury, frequently imbibe, hit, beat, stab their wives, mistresses, girlfriends. No correction from the other end.

Thai boys hurling racial epitaphs at foreigners in general, as well as their peers at school, who come from a different country, or have some sort of physical or mental impairment. No correction from the other end.

The Thai boys proudly flashing their manhood (sans modesty) in public as late as 5 and 7 years of age, as if it is some amazing thing that they think we want to be subjected to. It is encouraged without correction from the other end.

Thai boys gleefully laughing at the pain and misfortune of anyone. No correction from the other end.

Thai boys learning that it is acceptable to brutally punish the girls if they step out of line and anger the boy. No correction from the other end.

Thai men literally beating the pulp out of a female on the sois while all onlookers sit by gawping; and only after she is senseless the men start barking to cool down. Yet, at the end of the day, these males still allowed it to carry on after a fashion. No correction from the other end.

And so on...

Perhaps my view seems a bit naive, yet I am certain to a degree that this matriarchal society (and yes, it is considered such) should bear the primary burden of guilt towards the methods on how they raise their male offspring, and do or do not correct their learned behavioral patterns.

I am not concerned about culture, when that culture is used as an excuse to abandon human responsibility, duty, and obligation towards making a small human being into an adult that is a pleasure to be in the company of, and instead creates the kinds of behaviors that these women act so shocked at when it comes back to roost in their lives.

[kevozman1]

^Think you got a bit carried away there.

Some of the things you are mentioning sounds like only a small portion

of the population. Anyway the ones who act like this and think they are the

tops usually meet someone who stops them in their tracks............... always

someone else with bigger balls.

I have never heard about a guy hitting his mother in Thailand, usually seen

them being respectful, more than western countries.

Edited August 14, 2010 by kevozman1

[Ulysses G.]

I see this type of behavior very rarely. Carried away indeed.

[brahmburgers]

The first several posts on this thread, in particular, were right on target.

Sexual predators are as big a problem in Thailand as anywhere else. And I agree the perpetrators are nearly always a family member or at least an acquaintance.

One result is the plethora of women who are raising one or more kids alone, many of those kids were born from a mother who was raped in her mid- or even early teens. I happen to know a slew of hill tribe women (who have kids resulting from rapes), but the scourge is probably spread over all social strata.

The article mentions the excuse of drinking alcohol. Alcohol cannot be used as an excuse. Drinking alcohol is an accessory to a crime, just as holding a knife is an accessory to a stabbing. ....which brings us to the lamentable ease at which cops and other authorities are willing to excuse (or explain away) such predatory behavior.

The # of cases reported are probably less than a quarter of what actually takes place - for obvious reasons. A 14 yr old girl gets raped at a late night party. Is she going to go and make a formal police complaint the next day? What advantage would it afford her? None. The cops would probably sit around for an hour or two to get her to repeat the sordid details. Then the cops would either blame it on the girl (acting like a vamp, etc) and/or explain it away ("the boys were drunk" "the guy is from a good family, so he couldn't have done it" "he's too hard to locate" etc). Either way, it's a lose lose situation for the girl, as now her reputation is further sullied.

.....and she may have a fetus brewing in her womb. No abortion possible (because of Christian missionaries infecting every hill tribe)? ....go ahead and have the child, child. God loves you.

[brahmburgers]

Addendum.

Here's the main reason alcohol is no excuse for committing a crime;

The perpetrator has to take responsibility for his actions, whether he's drugged or not.

Alcohol is self-administered. It's worse, in my view, than most illegal drugs - and certainly causes more harm than other drugs - by any yardstick you care to use. Either outlaw the world's #1 most harmful drug, or make all drugs legal - and sort out the messes as they come along.

People are already stupid and harmful enough when they're sober (using their un-pickled brains), ....then they get stupider and more harmful by using self-administered alcohol.

Ever heard of someone going beserk and raping/harming others while smoking pot? Neither have I, and I don't like smoking the stuff. You probably never heard of anyone going postal while smoking opium or mainlining heroin, but that's another story that the alcohol industries of the world don't want you to contemplate.