Death Penalty for Rape
Posted on July 4th, 2012
Shenali Waduge
No one has the right to take away the innocence of another and in the case of a child, punishment for such an offense needs to go beyond the present practice of filling prisons with these offenders or giving them bail to commit another such offence. Revival of capital punishment is a now or never question which needs prompt attention and action.
Take any newspaper and the main page is full of rape, child abuse or molestation incidents happening throughoutƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Sri Lanka. The incidents related to prostitution, drugs, human trafficking and other such ills are not waning either. It is pointless giving statistics for the number of victims are far more than the numbers on record or those that have been reported. The appeals by civil society and child protection authorities need to now be synergized with public outrage to demand that the Government take immediate action.
There should be no empathy for the inhumans who commit such abuse on even children hardly 1 year old.
Although Sri Lanka has the legal death penalty, all death penalty cases have been commuted to life in prison and there have been no executions since 1973. Since 2000 there are over 1000 on death row but they are simply languishing in jails waiting for execution or a final decision for commutation for execution.
Capital punishment was abolished by S.W.R.D Bandaranaike in 1955 despite objections. Capital punishment was reintroduced by Mrs. Bandaranaike no sooner she came into power. When the J R Jayawardena Government took over though the law was in force it was defunct with debate over verdicts and incidents of those convicted being released or pardoned are many. Thus, since the late seventies capital punishment is at a standstill.
We have discussed, debated and argued enough ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” crimes are increasing and becoming horrifyingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ with each day. No one has the right to rob children of their innocence. These sex maniacs and perverts need to be treated with the language they understand for often most of their victims end up killed.
If crime rate was low when capital punishment was in force what is stopping the authorities from imposing the death sentence denying bail to these sex perverts?
Any child is as important as oneƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s child ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” punish the perverts for rape with death.
July 4th, 2012 at 4:15 pm
ABSOLUTELY!
No excuse whatsoever.
Death should certainly be the punishment for drugs as well.
If these 2 things are done, crime rates will reduce dramatically.
Kasippu Joseph and MOST Catholic priests will be dead. A few monks and Hindu priests will also be dead.
July 4th, 2012 at 4:36 pm
Mental – abuse is far far worse than the homicide. Any thing that mentally affect, makes the person suffer during the whole life. There is also an UN charter for protecting children. Sri Lanka should not leave abuse of children easily only with lenient punishments. They should be given harsh punishments. The recent Tangalle case is very inhumane. Even Universities also said to have such cases occasionally, and those incidents should not be allowed to go easy.
I think, whether we like it or not until the present generation gets old we need death penalty.
July 5th, 2012 at 12:18 am
Raping is part of the male chuvinism by those who are suffeing from some kind of mental problems I think. How many Provicial Council membes and some other politicians are accused of raping young girls and women. Also, trying to get sexual favours for any official and public service that they are supposed to render to any female voters with whose votes they have ascended to political power to serve the public. Instead, most of them are thugs, bar owners, drug lords, womanisers, etc. Not all are bad but most of them are. Whose power do they have? The power of the voters. We need a group of exemplary wise politicians not a bunch of bandits.
Whoever they are rapists should be meted out with capital punishment. Before carrying it out the government can have some mercy period on them by making them totally impotent, administering castration on them.
July 5th, 2012 at 7:40 am
Shenali Waduge is suggesting Death penalty for rapists in Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, Provincial council chair person from Akuressa who was arrested for raping a 14 year old had been admitted to the prison hospital in Matara with full facilities (luxury ward ?) with the help of a prominent governing party politician. That is what newspapers say.
So, is that the justice ?
July 5th, 2012 at 10:23 am
Sri Lanka not only should legalize the death penalty but also should the first few hangings be televised and fully advertised among everybody. They should show it to the public as much as the local and international laws allow it.
The reason is that will make the future criminals to think twice. That may scare them to the hell. That in turn, helps in the future to cut down the number of criminals that will be hanged.
July 5th, 2012 at 11:04 am
There is way too much high end crime in Sri Lanka. The Death Penalty must be instated as a deterrent. Some people may argue that the death penalty may not be a deterrent to crime, but we think it is a deterrent. Sri Lankan authorities do not maintain even a Hall of Shame for high end crime, by publishing photos with background information on all those found guilty of high end crime, the entire list, at least three times a year. No wonder we do not seem to make real progress in ending criminal activities in Sri Lanka.
July 5th, 2012 at 7:20 pm
‘Raping’ may be a mental sickness, but that should not be a reason to leave room open for somebody else to suffer and that could be a suffering they carry life long which can affect that person’s family life etc. To eradicate these types of crimes, every possible step should be taken irrespective of human rights advocates’ pleas for compassion towards the rapist who may have been a sexual abuse victim himself.
So, we should establish a well publicised program for people who have uncontrolable urges to get treatment and any other method to keep them out of committing the crime including volunteer castration. For those who are not willing to voluntarily seek treatment, public execution has to be carried out as a detterent.
If there is a possibility bring back the punishments carried out during ancient times such as tieing limbs to two trees and letting the body split gradually until death in public, I am all for it. Some would say it is sadistic. But how else can we stop crimes of this nature? This homeland of ours has to be kept a safe place to all, in the best possible way. If people cannot be detered by educstion, imprisnment, death sentence, etc, then we have to find our own (i.e. not bowing to international or national ‘human rights’ and religious pundits) method of detering such people.
Apart from rape, there can be many other offences we should categorise as national crimes and make the most effective detterent punishment the norm.
Parallel to this frequent factual programs should be carried in all public media to educate them the several ways people get into theses situations and how to escape from them and also report them as soon as possible. Parents should take the lead in this without waiting for politicians, religious leaders etc.
July 6th, 2012 at 7:09 am
It seems to me that much high end crime happens whenever elections are due ? Politicos at mid level (PCs especially – not enough work ?), seem to indulge in all sorts of ghastly past times now a days.
What has happened to our schools and homes that so much crime happens ? It is obvious that some children are not learning the all important VALUES OF ETHICS & MORALITY in life, and they grow up to be despicable adults. Without an overlay of Ethics & Morality, all else seems hollow.
July 6th, 2012 at 5:30 pm
The government has to bring the stringest laws to catch and punish the culprits and the political influence to interfere should be done with.It is going to happen now that media like Derena taking these incidents as a crusade whereas in the past none of these abuses even would have come to light.In a way Shenali,it is not that the abuses have increased in numbers really but the society has progressed well and education has reached the masses who would now come out without shame and report without fear and media being able to hound down the political henchmen.However Shenali,please donot lose your bearings as a Buddhist and call for death penalty (even for murder).
July 9th, 2012 at 11:22 am
No country can afford to mix the Law of the land with Religion.
Soft religion without compensating strong Laws can make traitors & outsiders ‘play the devil’ with the country.
Beware Lanka !