Pitcairn

[becks]

Have we done this? What do we think of the outcome and the charges?

[bernardo]

Have we done what?

It is good that rapists have been convicted.  What I am not quite so happy about is the prospect that the prisoners may be incarcerated in a purpose-built prison on Pitcairn itself, rather than serving their sentences in a proper prison in e.g. New Zealand.  If they are still in Pitcairn, there is the possibility that their very presence will pollute the social and political life of the island anyway.  I don't quite see how there will be the possibility of a viable level of prison administration in the long term unless prison officers are imported from elsewhere.

[becks]

I meant 'have we discussed this'? Hadn't thought about the implications of the men being imprisoned on the island - is that normal though? If you commit a crime in say, thailand, don't you stay there? Agree about the whole prison officers there. I also wondered what people thought of them being rapists - from what i read in the paper it was consensual - not saying it is right, do not get me wrong but these people haven't ever been in a society like ours - or did they know they were a) commiting a crime or b) that it is wrong to have sex with a child. Do they have their own laws on the island? Please understand that i am not in any way condoning what happened but as far as the rest of the islanders are concerned are they "polluting the social and political life of the island"? From what I read having sex with underage girls was common practice - again don't get me wrong etc etc.

[WaldoMcFroog]

It may well have been common, but it doesn't stop it being illegal! If it were consensual, as the men argued, one has to wonder how come so many women have given evidence against them...

[camille79]

Has anyone else read the reports saying that the convicted men shouldn't be incarcerated as they are the main providers of food and importers of essential goods.  Surely if they are to be imprisioned someone has to take responsibility for the potentially vulnerable people still living on the island and ensure that they are not indirectly punished too.

[becks]

I didn't mean that just because it happens it's not illegal, i didn't realise lots of women had given evidence against them. I just wondered what everyone else thought...

[tartanwiz]

I don't know all the facts, as my newspaper didn't report them all. If it was not consensual, then it is right that the Pitcairn men should be convicted. If it was consensual, and the girls were sexually mature (not pre-teen children), well that's another matter. Most Polynesian societies have the age of consent at 12. In the Netherlands in the 80s there was a move to try to do the same there, though it was turned down by the Dutch parliament. Perhaps the age of consent could be lowered a bit, to early teens.

[Drewhound]

A lot of the women objected to the investigations, let alone the charges. Whether they were coerced into this or not we'll never know. They probably do have a case for saying that their values have altered as a result of contact with polynesian cultures and I doubt if the charges would have brought if they were talking about consensual sex with teenagers

In fact some of the rapes were gang rapes, some were incestuous and one victim was seven years old. This is way over the top of what can be called acceptable in any society imo. I think the reallity is that a society of 47 people can't survive and thrive if only for the problem of inbreeding. Look at photos of some of them and the signs are already there in abundance