Sunday, August 3, 2008

Charity for non -offenders and restitution for offenders must serve the same goal - restoration of victims

I believe that charity for the non sex offender and restitution for the sex offender has the same goals and needs to accomplish the same results - restoration of the victim. The SO has to restore what he has taken away from his victim - the non-SO has to restore what an SO has taken away from a victim in order to truly be an ally and friend to victims. If that means donating to rape centers and paying for a victims' counseling, then so be it.

If the SO needs to learn victim empathy, the non SO who wants to make a difference in a survivor's life needs to learn it. I believe that all men need to learn the long term consequences of rape and CSA because their relationships and marriages may be affected by those consequences.

Most SO's have to pay restitution for their victim's counseling, and a fine for their crimes. If it's true that restitution for the offender and charity towards victims differ only in the status of the person involved, then those who want to be allies must increase victim empathy. When 1 in 6 women have been raped in adulthood and 1 in 3 girls have been sexually abused, then it becomes imparative for men involved or potentially involved with victims to understand the long term consequences of sexual abuse - before they find them selves accidently revictimizing a previous victim.

If a SO needs to pay fines and pay for their victim's counseling, then I believe that compassion towards victims and future survivors entails at least the same for anyone who's not an offender who can afford to do so - paying 100% of a victim's counseling costs and instead of fines (appropriate only for criminal defendants), giving to a charity that deals with victims.

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