The Scheme of Things

Evening Post, Issue 52, 2 March 1935, Page 19

The Scheme of Things

By M.H.C

Some notes forwarded from the recent Edinburgh Conference of the National Council of Women bear on a tSil>J6St at present under consideration by a large number of women who are appalled by the number of offences committed against children of tender ages in this country. A resolution, "carried," it is stated, "by an overwhelming majority," was as follows: — "That this conference urges the Government to amend the legislation governing: sexual offences against children and young persons in the following respects:-^— "1. That in cases involving sexual offences against children under thirteen years of age the offender shall, after conviction, be remanded for examination by spe-cially-qualified doctors, and where abnormality is diagnosed, the Court shall have powers to order/detention for treatment. "2. That,in all cases involving children under thirteen years of age, where the offender has been frequently convicted of offences of this nature, even of a minor char- ,. acter, the Court shall have full . . power to order detention for treatment, and subsequent release on conditions to be determined by the Court." These resolutions, as will be _ seen, are characterised by great care in the framing, having due regard for that side of human nature which makes it difficult to secure convictions in these cases without overwhelming evidence, and for the sincere effort towards lessening an evil, which, according to information, was realised by the women present to be one of the most pitiful (from the point of the consideration of the victims and their people) and terrible in a supposedly-civilised world. The resolution, which was passed, came from the Edinburgh branch. The mover said that they did not think of such legislative changes as either cures or abolishers of depravity. About a year previously there had been held a meeting of women in the City Assembly Hall, and some resolutions passed voiced the conviction that, if there were adequate housing accommodation and if the children received education at home and at school in biological facts, very much would have been, accomplished towards clearing the public conscience of a big blot —in fact, that a good moral tone would work the desired effect. But it was said that in asking-that these resolutions be passed the desire was to focus on a great preventive measure—that of dealing with offenders so that they should do no more harm. The argument was that among offenders of this type there is a high proportion of persons who are mentally

deficient or of unsound "mind, senile, or who suffer from nervous disorders with depressive insanity, epilepsy, alcoholics, and drug addicts. It should be a duty to discover these persons among offenders by a searching expert examination, and thereafter treat them in a way which will ensure that the offence will not recur. Assaults upon children are. a grave symptom that there are people about the communities who arc physically or mentally (or both). unwholesome arid lacking in control. That class of disease is in great need of investigation on wide lines, and it is urged that "prevention is far better than cure." Another point made which is also a true one is that the number of court cases do not represent the whole trouble by any means, and from the difficulties of detection and reluctance of disclosure of evidence it is judged that behind that percentage there is an unhealthy store of bad practices among the peoples. The speaker commented ■on the two departmental committees which had been appointed by Government, one in Scotland, and one in England, which had gathered a great deal of information and had made recommendations which, however, had not been carried into effect.

It was asked that if there had been several convictions, even if the offences were of what might be termed a minor character, and continued misbehaviour had been shown, then the cumulative effect should be that the offender be detained for treatment and his condition reviewed from time to time. "There is a change in the attitude of us all," stated the speaker. "Court, public, and administrators definitely call for adjustments of the present legislation. Our shockedness, our distress, our anger has now passed into a burning desire to protect the children by turning these perversions and curing the disease, or, if the experts declare the, offender incurable, by segregating him." She added that the aim of the law in these more enlightened days tended more towards prevention, which was obviously the right aim for any law.

Another speaker raised the question of the child victims and the after-conse-quences of the treatment they received from the class of person under discussion. This was a matter which was, curiously enough, overlooked by, a large class of quite well-meaning and educated persons. It was felt that if some" of the lives of these unfortunate victims of brutality were brought into light a great deal more might be done. The great difficulty in this direction is the right and natural feeling of parents and guardians that the child must not be kept in mind of such happenings by any questioning, though there is little likelihood, unfortunately, of such occurrences being forgotten. Still, private inquiry might help, if people with a view to helping to stamp out the trouble are willing to let the world know the lasting reality of the harm done. Another speaker wished for more evidence on the after-care of victims, and said that every chance had been given to understand the frightfulness of offences—in fact it might be said that they had been "icily scientific," but still their concern was heartfelt, and it was because of the victims that they pleaded for this machinery to stop their tragedy.

Judging from the whole story of the speeches made, it appears as if the underlying hope of the women who plead'for a better protection for children is that medical observation and tests will ensure that a certain number of the people who commit such offences will not be at large again—that, if there is no certainty of cure, they will not be released as "experiments." Cases were cited which showed that the tragedy of fathers of families returning home after incarceration for these offences was overwhelming, and the feeling was that no woman should be called upon to readmit to her life people of the sort, but that she should be free,, till assured that there is no further dangev of disgrace to herself and family because the man is free again. There are so many records of those who, after imprisonment, have returned to society worse than before 'that the question cannot be permanently shelved.