Dear Editor – There is an immense increase in social problems in this country now, than ever before.
These are rape, sexual abuse and domestic violence but a few.
The courts are wasting good amount of their precious time in dealing with these sexual related crimes and sending to prisons the perpetrators. The papers too are littered with these almost on a daily basis.
It is no little wonder that a Christian professed country like ours, as well as a country rich in tradition and culture, should succumb randomly to such evils of societal development?
While then society is deploring sexual crimes, the crime of committing adultery in particular, seems to draw no attention under the penal code. Could anyone explain?
Excuse me for my ignorance but in some customs and cultures of some Islands, they do have verdicts for the crime of adultery.
The national laws however, do not seem to provide for this crime as a punishable offence. Is this because the crime or the sin of adultery is committed on the fact that, there is a meeting of the mind between the two illegal partners concerned, unlike rape and abuse etc?
As a Christian country, we are often vocal about the act of adultery, because it is a sin according to God’s command.
We read from the Holy Book about the Old Testament time, that the sin of adultery has a penalty, which was the stoning to death of any married man and married woman found committing adultery, (Deut 22:22 ). (Note, the sin of adultery is committed by a married man and a married woman; while fornication is a sin committed by a married man or a married woman with an unmarried girl or boy or a boy and girl before holy marriage).
Our national laws are silent on this particular social crime and it is often silenced by compensation, if ever publically known.
It is because it is an intimate love affair between illegal partners concerned and would be an embarrassment to the husband of another wife and a wife of a another husband, if the sin/crime is brought to the court?
Whichever the situation maybe, committing adultery is not punishable by law, unless it is disguised as rape, incest or child abuse or may be divorce?
No one is perfect one may argue. No. For we all live in glass house! My concern however, is on the criminality of the subject in as far as our penal code is concerned.
While the churches condemn adultery as sin, (wrong against God’s law), the national law makers, seem to ignore it by not legislating against.
The family protection Bill, that has been passed to law (an Act of Parliament), had no mention of this particular family crime, given its severity and long-lasting consequential impacts and effects on families, in particular, a children which are most vulnerable in the society regardless.
The Act is more concerned about family rights rather than family behaviours, that if not controlled would lead to committing societal ills or crimes of adultery, rape, sexual abuse and domestic violence.
Adultery is a family crime, just like domestic violence and others and as such it should be legislated against.
The theology and the illegality of the crime, rest with the church government, one would think.
However, there should be a law to minimize the crime from occurring.
John Tinonibona
Tulagi
Gela
