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Inuit sexual predators must stop their abuse.

It is well-known that Inuit men are big-time sexual predators.

For many hundreds of years, you have preyed upon your little girls and women. In many cases, you have raped your own daughters at a very young age. You have even raped babies and elderly women.

I am one of these Inuit women that have been abused over and over and over. It all started when I was a little kid, not old enough to understand what was going on.

I have been raped by my stepfather, my biological grandfather, one of my biological brothers, two of my step-brothers and my uncle on my mother’s side for many years.

I tried telling people about the pain, but no one would listen to what I was telling them about what was happening to me.

Once, when one of my aunts believed me, she told me to say nothing, because the person who raped me was highly respected in the community.

Today, I am very damaged by all the abuse that Inuit men close to me have caused me. I am able now to speak to other Inuit women who have been into the same kind of abuse. It appears to me that to be invaded by these predators was silently accepted.

I am finding out that many, many Inuit women were in this same situation, even in my mother’s and father’s time, and I know that it has been happening a lot longer. Alcohol and drugs have intensified these abuses in more recent times. I know that these abuses are still happening in our communities today.

I recently found out that her own uncle, my own adopted brother, raped my own daughter.

I want this abuse to stop. You have caused us women too much pain.

I encourage other women to bring their story out into the open for all to see the truth of our lives.

Anonymous
Kuujjuaq

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I know decent Inuit men who would be ashamed of men who do this kind of thing. But maybe these decent men (all men) need to speak out against this and show support to their women.

When I think about it, most of my female friends have experienced sexual abuse of one sort or another. This includes myself- though I have never been raped it has come close and I was just a child and again throughout my teenage years. Just recently a friend of mine's niece, 9-year-old was raped and hemorrhaged.

It's also important to note that while incest seems to be more severe in the North, it happens more often in any society than people once supposed. (Kendell-TAckett & others, 1993).

That's why we all need to speak up against it.

[ 19 February 2003: Message edited by: Anuri ]

Men are pigs.

It's true.

We are.

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Actually we are. I'm not. I'm a nice guy, who takes no shite off no one. Except those that brutalize the fairer sex. Grrr.

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Er.. isn't that what we all say?

I cannot fathom the predatory nature of some men, especially contemptible are those who target younger women and children.

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An attempt to correlate any negative or positive characteristic of humans with their skin colour would immediately be labelled as bigotry. Same with trying to correlate them with genitalia.

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I have worked in Northern aboriginal communities (both Inuit and Amerindian) and have observed the despair, violence and systematic substance abuse in those settlements. I don't really think being Inuit is the key - however being in an uprooted, half-destroyed aboriginal community of any origin certainly plays a part, as does the desire to keep outsiders who have always oppressed the community out of its affairs.

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You are quite right on the first count, but out to lunch on the second. Waaaay out.

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I have yet to hear of an epidemic of anybody being raped by women, is all.

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Rape is an act, not a characteristic. Men rape women more than women rape men. Women, on the other hand, kill their children more than men do. Both are despicable acts.

Does this make men "despicable"? Does it make women "despicable"? Are men, or women more despicable??

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thereby making judgements based on genitalia somewhat justified--if you're talking about statistics.

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So then why is it 'erroneous' to suggest that any particular race is more prone toward rape? If the statistics suggest that one race is more prone to commit rape than others, what will you do with that information?

Man With No Name made the statement you object to for his own reasons. Please keep the rest of us out of it.

[ 19 February 2003: Message edited by: writer ]

People who are abused by such predators are often made to feel isolated, crazy and somehow deserving of the treatment they receive. I am in awe of the ability of this letter writer to see her worth, even after all she's gone through, and to stand up and say, Enough, in such a public way.

This is how darkness comes into the light, how the unspeakable becomes articulated, how change happens.

[ 19 February 2003: Message edited by: writer ]

But if you'd rather I don't post, I won't.

[ 19 February 2003: Message edited by: Mr. Magoo ]

These are stories we need to hear, and need to act on. Personally, I see acts of sexual violence as a form of hate crime. The question is, what triggers this kind of hate?

When I've been assaulted, I didn't think afterwards, "This is a happy, contented person."

[ 19 February 2003: Message edited by: writer ]

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Where it happens at chronic levels, together they reflect a social crisis. One way to acknowledge that crisis is by listening to the stories of the people who are suffering.

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I don't think that listening can be overstressed. Listening also doesn't always require that we provide direct advice and opinions to those who are suffering these abuses.

It is the social crisis that has to be addressed. Non-First Nations people must pressure governments at all levels to address the economic conditions and land claims of First Nations, Inuit and other impoverished communities is a key indicator of our own empaty, humanity and solidarity.

I think it was important for the writer to say this to cast shame in communities that allow this to happen. That's why she called it what she did. It wasn't race related on her part but as people suggested there are other factors to consider.

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And we're sadly lightyears from reaching a solution. The government doesn't want to do anything except continue to blindly throw money at it to make it go away. How can we deal with these problems and help them to stop?

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One more generalization, just to contradict myself. Men are more emotinally fragile than women. In a patriarchal culture, when men lose their power, they also lose honour, hope, discipline, accountability - everything.

So what can be done?
It's impossible to put the First Nations back the way they were before colonization. (And, of course, they were not perfect, even then.)
Is it possible to build up Native communities to a sustainable level of economic self-sufficiency and self-esteem? Is it possible to retain tradition and also keep Native communities in touch with the modern world? Money would help, but it needs to be applied to a long-term goal.

What about the short-term?
Can we rescue the children who are suffering right now? Is it possible to empower the women, without further eroding the men's pride? Is it possible to give both boys and girls an equal chance at successful adulthood?

You made mention of correlating the genitals/race mentioning is bigotry is a bad thing.

I am a man, so I am allowed to say men are pigs. Not all, of course (there is always an exception to the rule) but most.

Sisyphus,

The point of men in devastated communities committing more aggression is moot. The reason why men do this is simple - men are physically stronger and more aggressive then women (before anyone gets their bloomers in a twist, please see my 'exception to the rule' comment above).

As far leaders being women, emerging from the ashes, that makes sense. The men are usually incapacitated (i.e drunk, jail, dead, rehab whatever).

The Wizard Of Socialism

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I am a man, so I am allowed to say men are pigs

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You can say whatever you want. That doesn't make it right, or true. I think you need to associate with more men. There's plenty of nice ones. I would say even more than there are bad ones. The piggies just tend to stand out, make themselves appear to be more prominent.

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The point of men in devastated communities committing more aggression is moot

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It is entirely not moot. At all. If there is a higher rate of violent sex crimes in this community, then it is an indicator that there is a bigger problem at work. To ignore it is to completely ignore the pain these people are suffering. I'm sorry to dispel your illusions, MWNN, but men for the most part are not just overly-aggressive. It is NOT a genetic trait that is dominant in our gender, whether or not we may have recessed genes that make us aggressive. And I am aware of your "exception" clause. When things like this happen en masse, we need to look for cause and try and repair it. Claiming the "men being men" arguement is totally counter-productive.

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I'm very sorry that your view of men is so skewed. I shudder to think of the type of men you must be surrounded by to make it so.

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LOL don't feel bad, you didn't do anything. FWIW, I come from a family with many boys. Our parents raised us right. Which let's me identify the losers and deadbeats in society. Most of them are men.

There are plenty of useless women out there also.

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I can't think of a single male I know who behaves in this manner.

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I can't think of a single male I know who behaves in this manner. I know they're out there, but I think it's very sad when they are portrayed as the majority, rather than the minority.

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It's a bit problematic to suggest that just because you, personally, don't know of men who "act this way", that they're rare. What is that study--please someone, help me out with it--that found something horrible like more than 50% of men would rape if they knew they'd never be caught?

The prevalence of rape, in society in general as well as in smaller segments of it, is not going to diminish as long as people approach the problem as something that 'other people do' or 'other people suffer'.

We live in a cultural environment that devalues women's bodies and women's right to choose what happens to them. Everywhere there are images of women as nothing but sexual objects, women's stories and experiences are ignored, belittled and discredited by the media, the judicial system, and by the very law-enforcers who are meant to protect us and help us find justice. It is a systemic, endemic problem throughout society. And clearly, in communities where people are generally powerless, poverty-stricken, and desperate, the problem is worse--as in the example provided by the letter that opens this thread.

But to say "not me, not my friends" is simply an attempt to evade the responsibility that is all of ours, collectively.

[ 20 February 2003: Message edited by: Lima Bean ]

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I am a man, so I am allowed to say men are pigs

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But any kind of bigotry is immoral and
unacceptable.

- Judy Rebick

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What I don't understand, MWNN, is why you want to characterize and generalize. Certainly some men are "pigs" (which we haven't really defined or made meaningful), but so are some women. More importantly, many others aren't.

As far as that study is concerned, I have heard it before too. I have serious problems with it because a) how can you expect someone to be able to answer something like that with any appreciation for the situation being presented and b) statistical reports are just not accurate.

This is all off topic though. I just wanted to say that I'm not trying to de-value the real problem of rape and exploitation here. I was only trying to bring to light that the problem is not "men are pigs" but a much bigger, social problem.

[ 20 February 2003: Message edited by: dale cooper ]

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But to say "not me, not my friends" is simply an attempt to evade the responsibility that is all of ours, collectively.

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So if we were to take responsibility and tackle the problem head-on, we'd say "It IS me, it IS my friends" -- when it's not?

Even MWNN, the champion of the "men are pigs" theory, took this approach. He claimed membership in a group, in order to give his slur some credibility ("I am a man, so I am allowed to say men are pigs."), then he excused himself from that group ("I'm not. I'm a nice guy"), then, lest he suffer an awkward Thanksgiving, he excused his family as well ("Our parents raised us right.") and left the rest of us to swing in the sheets.

Finally, LB sez:

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It's a bit problematic to suggest that just because you, personally, don't know of men who "act this way", that they're rare.

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But you don't find it problematic that just because someone else does know of men who act this way, that we're supposed to assume that it's an epidemic? With all due respect to the author of the original letter, it's one person's anecdote. And within one response, it's been turned into an unqualified "men are pigs".

Would this... no could this have happened if one of us claimed that "blacks are lazy"??

[ 20 February 2003: Message edited by: Mr. Magoo ]

To reiterate:

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It's also important to note that while incest seems to be more severe in the North, it happens more often in any society than people once supposed. (Kendell-TAckett & others, 1993).

That's why we all need to speak up against it.

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While I'm happy to see men talking about this issue, I'm beginning to regret the title I gave it. It (the title) seems to be taking away the importance of the issue of incest and rape but at the same time, maybe it's a blessing in disguise. Maybe it will cast shame on the Inuit men that do this and motivate the decent ones to speak out against it?

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Darkhorse, I hope you're being sarcastic.

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Dale, as for other programs other than crime prevention, I have no idea. I know there are some 'safe' places that women can go to in some communities but that's all I know at this point.

I have in the past tried to find out what the models the health and social services use to help people on welfare get motivated to do things and and what they are reinforced with. I have tried to encourage certain community sectors to net-work but I am often met with, "We're looking after it" or "That's previlaged information" and it tends to get quite discouraging.

Here is what i think the govenrment ought to do:
Send the army north. ("Sorry, Georgie, all our peacekeeping forces are busy peacekeeping.")

Take every child-molester, wife-beater and rapist over 14 out of every community, right now. Fly them 1000 km from anywhere, and put them down. With the clothes on their backs, a pair of snowshoes, a spear, a knife and a backpack of rations. No booze, no drugs, no snowmobiles or gasoline and no dogsleds. (If they're mean to their families, they'll be mean to their dogs.) Let them make their own way back home. Let them earn the right to be accepted again. The ones who make it will be clean and sober; stronger, healthier - and in possession of more self-respect than when they left.

Meanwhile, the army will build decent houses, clinics, libraries and schools in each settlement, and guard the women and kids against predators. Each settlement will establish a new council and decide what rules they want to live by, what kind of economy they want, what enterprises they want to try. The government will provide start-up money in the form of interest-free loans.

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Why is it that some people make excuses for men that rape children and women?

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If you look at the Maori film "Once were warriors" you can observe much of the same behaviour at the other end of the planet.

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Nonesuch, what a great idea! You know, when I talked with an elder before and asked him how they used to serve justice in the past- he told me that a group of men used to talk with the offender to try and correct the behaviour. Sometimes it worked. When it didn't the person would parished out-on-the land.

Bellows, I must say I agree with darkhorse. There are circumstances that bring out this kind of behaviour in people and we need to look at those circumstances and improve them.

Effective Punishment for Rape !!!
Posted By: FARAKH MALIK
Date: Friday, 23 August 2002, at 10:05 a.m.

The following punishment is suggested for rape.

1. The convicted rapist or rapists, be Castrated, his / their Erectile Organs be surgically removed.

2. The convicted rapists who have been administered the above punishment, should be set free thereafter.

3. This mode of punishment will minimise the rape crimes if not eliminate completely. In future the would-be rapist will think twice before raping some poor helpless child, a girl or a woman.

4. It may seem a harsh mode of punishment, but, if we want to eradicate this curse on mankind, let us do it, NOW, the world over.

5. The International Court Of Justice, should have jurisdiction in all countries of the world including the USA, and have speedy trials (7 days)for such heinous crimes against women, a very special gift of God to Man.

In BC recently the Indo-Canadian community had a forum where some of the prominent leaders in their community were taking about the problems with spousal abuse and violence generally. Like in Inuit communities it is higher than in the larger Cnadian society but that makes it a cultural problem not a racial problem.

People commit crimes of violence because they have lost their moral compass. Some cultures have a higher incident of this so it is proper in my opinion to look at what in those cultures is causing this. Some of it is colonialism some is patriarchy and some is poverty etc. A child when born is not born a rapist they develop that way the question to me is how to raise children to love their neighbours.

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I beleive in the USA a rapist usally gets life in prison. Our government don't like the word rape so they call it sexual assult, as if it makes a differance to a 8 year old girl. Make rape a automatic life in prison and I think you will see a change, or at least castrate him.

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and

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3. This mode of punishment will minimise the rape crimes if not eliminate completely. In future the would-be rapist will think twice before raping some poor helpless child, a girl or a woman.

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bellows, I think your conception of how to deter rape demonstrates a poor understanding (or wilfull ignorance) of the characteristics of sexual assault.

The United States has brutal punishments for many things; drugs, rape and so on but these acts still occur frequently. The largely predatorial nature of rape means that often rapists aren't thinking about the consequences, not because they aren't harsh, but because they conceive that what they're doing isn't wrong.

So instead of a massive transfer of funds to social spending to head these problems off at the pass, the money goes straight to the jails; building and maintaining them. I think this reflects the Canadian experience. First Nations people comprise less than 8% of the population and make up a majority of the prison populations.

Ills, like rape, alcoholism, and such are symptomatic of societal disenfranchisement.

A question for those in the know: is rape reported in the North? Do larger centres like Iqaluit have higher rates of sexual assault than do smaller more remote areas?

However repressive violence by the state is part of the problem not the answer. My favourite argument against the deterent effect of capital punishment is from British history. Pickpocketing was at one time a capital offence and one of the favourite venues for thieves was public hangings. People who committ crimes don't think of the consequences first. The US incarcerates more people per capita than any other modern state and they still have the highest crime rate.

The question is whether thinking of an 30 or 40 yearold having sex when they were 15,16, 17, or 18 is different than thinking of an actual 15, 16, 17, or 18 year old having sex. It feels different, thinking of the former seems OK but thinking of the latter seems gross.

At 40 it is still a fun thing to do among other things. Probably the fact of sexual security makes a difference.

I know that the latter would be gross for a person my age, but what I am trying to find out is whether doing the former is OK or not or is categorized as doing the same thing.

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To put it a bit more bluntly - Is fantisizing about Alan Rickman or Patrick Swayzie having sex at 16 the same as fantasizing about Meades having sex at 16.

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Seems to me that putting your 16 year old "in the past" is just a little bit of jerrymandering to allow you to fantasize about 16 year olds and not feel like you're fantasizing about 16 year olds. That said, thought is always free, and there are plenty of worse things one could fantasize about.

I used to fantasize about my first time a long afterwards but not really anyone elses. When I used to think of my first time, I didn't really focus on how old we were, but I knew how old we were.

Then I came here because I started figuring that I was getting in way over my head and might be crossing some kind of boundary, but I didn't know for sure. I do now.

The reason I started reading the fanflics was because I needed a break from the war and everything, which is why I haven't been around much.

Thanks for the patience. And thanks for the reality check.

[ 11 April 2003: Message edited by: vaudree ]

Just because this thread started at the other extreme where you are talking hard core pediphile who believe nothing is over the line.