Megan's Law?

PFP Legislator Shen Chih-hwei (

75,000 reported rapes in Taiwan in one year???
God knows how many others…
I don’t know about you, but I think that number is outrageous for a population of 20+ million!!!

Must be influenced by all the Japanese porn they like to watch here. Sick shit, man! Rape fetishists!!! grrrrrr…

I agree with Ms. Shen…

75,000 rapes reported in 2002 in a country with a population less than 1/10th that of the US, and in 2000, 90,000 rapes were reported there! This is bloody outrageous!!!
And considering that less than 20% of these rapes were likely reported, a figure I think would be quite a bit lower than the reported rate in the US, then in actuality, there were more like half a million rapes in Taiwan!!! Or more…

Report from Women’s Press:

Rape on the rise
The number of rapes reported to law enforcement agencies rose last year for first time since 1992, according to a recent FBI report.

Nationwide, 90,186 rapes were reported to law enforcement agencies in 2000, an increase of nearly one percent from 1999. The number of rapes reported in cities increased by 1.5 percent.

The number of reported rapes nationwide has declined by about 15 percent since 1991, according to FBI figures.

Rape often goes unreported, however. The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) estimates that only 28 percent of all rapes occurring in 1999 were reported to law enforcement. The number reported is even lower among children in grades five through 12.

I have no problem with the punishment, but I do not have full confidence in the local constabulary or the local judicciary to investigate fairly and with due process. Simply put, the cops are corrupt, and the judges and prosecutors incompetent. Or is it the other way around? :unamused: I would not want to put the fate of my balls in their hands! :shock: :!:

ONE inch per action! Phew, just as well I’m not a pervert or I’d be out on my first strike :shock: :shock: :shock:

The problem with the castration issue, though, is that the drugs used can be canceled out with other, under the counter drugs. Plus, how do you monitor the offenders to make sure they’re taking the medication (its not a “one-shot” solution).

However (and I know a little bit about this because my dad was involved in roundtable discussions about it when it was mooted in Scotland) as I guess most of you know, rape is more a twisted expression of power or control than a pure sexual urge, and when they test-marketed (for want of a better expression!) chemical castration in Scotland, they discovered that a good many offenders, while they didn’t have the SEXUAL urge to defile, would be just as likely to use conventional violence against their victims in order to satisfy their control/power urges.

So its maybe the lesser of two evils, but I don’t think its any real solution, although as a form of taking action against evil in our midst, actual, physical castration is pretty appealing.

And Anthony, I also agree with your point re: the corruption and ineptitude, but that can’t be a reason NOT to legislate, can it? Wouldn’t that be something like anarchy?

I think there are substantial reasons to legislate against irreversible penalties, including capital punishment and castration of any sort. Too many instances of justice going awry, both here and in the west. :expressionless:

Hold on. If you are relying on the figure given in the Taipei Times then you are probably swallowing an error. My guess is that there is a zero problem…trust me on this one.

Not to make light of a serious issue but how reliable are those figures? Sorry Alien but according to your estimates close to half a million women a year are being raped in Taiwan. Over the last decade that would amount to 4-5 million women (assuming the same women aren’t being raped repeatedly). That’s patently absurb.

Does anyone know the legal definition of rape in Taiwan? Maybe I’ll make it my job to find out.

As for the suggested punishment, like Maoman I cannot endorse it given taiwan’s present legal system. And not just because the innocent might be affected, but also because the quilty are likely to be given too much leniency, (and the victims too much harassment), by the superior, patriarchal goons who sit on the bench.

Mucha,
Come on…if 75 thousand rapes were reported, then yes, i would estimate there were far, far more that weren’t.

Half a million is a ridiculous number, I know, but it’s more likely that women are being raped not by strangers, but by family members, friends, and date rape.

And btw, the legal definition of rape should be the same anywhere: Women forced to have sex without giving consent!!

And that Japanese porno, I tell you, those Japanese men have a real thing about rape, and I would guess it’s to compensate for their lack of ‘manhood’, but I may be mistaken…though I doubt it.

I’m sure Ms Shen is deeply concerned about the increasing violence directed toward women in Taiwan. As a first-term opposition backbencher, trying to navigate through the corridors of power, she would never use the victims of this horrendous crime to further her own political ambitions.

By the way, which headline do think draws more attention “CASTRATE THE RAPISTS” or “Legal and Social Reforms Needed”?

The PFP is developing quite a domestic platform; STD exams for diplomats, castration for rapists, and organized egg throwing contests. I wonder what they’ll come up with next week! :unamused:

considering that reported rapes in japan number about 1000-2000 per year, and there are similar cultural barriers to reporting rapes there, i also think something’s weird about taiwan’s numbers.

i don’t see any reference to any studies anywhere except for that line “according to shen”.

not trying to make light of the serious issue, but drawing comparisons between rape statistics in taiwan and the us based on no statistical evidence is going a little overboard.

Perhaps the statistics are incorrect, according to this chart. Please note the ‘cleared’ rate. But side stepping the issue by calling it a ‘political agenda’, or questioning the actual numbers, is a great way of not facing up to the seriousness of this situation in Taiwan. :unamused:

[color=blue]Asian Human Rights Commission:[/color]

[color=red][b]Although rape is a felony in Taiwan

Alien, in part you answered my question about the legal definition of rape. The fact that the woman has to accuse the attacker does make Taiwan different from other countries. In Canada, for example, there is no such crime as rape. It was replaced with the more neutral sexual assualt. This is actually a step forward as rape is much harder to prove than assualt. A rape must be deliberate (and the prosecutor must prove this) whereas an assualt is an assualt, regardless of intention.

And yes, of course the real statistics on rape must be higher than the reported ones. My point is that the reported figure then cannot be right. It is simply to high to be credible. This is not sidestepping the seriousness of the issue but actually an attempt to clarify it somewhat so I can decide how to respond. If there really are as many rapes in this country as the reported figure suggests then I am leaving and taking my wife (and future daughters) with me. And I’m serious. If this country is that dangerous to grow up female in, then I will not stay. Therefore, I want to make sure these figures are correct and not just politically motoviated (or just plain wrong as the figures for murder stated in the Taipei Times a few weeks ago. Astonishingly they claimed Taiwan has a higher murder rate than the US.)

I’m sorry but I do react to people promoting potentially dangerous policies (castration) based on bogus evidence. You should ask yourself why you are so willing to believe this figures. I know why I am questioning them.

Side step the issue? I beleive that’s exactly what Ms Shen is doing when she proposes bills that don’t address the problem. The issue is not “'should we castrate rapists” but rather “why have the existing laws failed society”. If Ms shen was even remotely serious she would be proposing sweeping legal and policing reforms so existing laws are enforced! [color=red]Alien, your absolutely right, it’s a great way of not facing up to the seriousness of the problem in Taiwan! [/color]

“Chemical castration temporarily or permanently reduces sexual desire through chemicals that can be injected or taken orally.”

Ok…

“Shen’s proposal was to permanently castrate the rapists.”

What she’s talking about is taking that stick and dipping in it acid! :shock: Thats a wee bit extreme, me think.

Besides, laws should apply equally to men and woman. What do they do when the perpetrator is a woman? what do you castrate then?

But seriously, from what hat did she pull 75,000 from?

[quote=“Alien”]Mucha,

And that Japanese porno, I tell you, those Japanese men have a real thing about rape, and I would guess it’s to compensate for their lack of ‘manhood’, but I may be mistaken…though I doubt it.[/quote]

Alien, do you mind explaining a little more? What exactly does ‘lack of “manhood”’ mean here?

I agree you about how the Taiwanese legal system discriminates against the victim in rape cases. However, I also agree with Mucha Man that the quoted figures are ridiculous.

I think for a female, it would be the clitoris. It’s something that is still done to young girls today… I think it’s called FGM, short for female genital mutilation. :frowning:

But how does a woman rape/sexually assault a man or another woman?

Jennifer

[quote=“jrc”]
But how does a woman rape/sexually assault a man or another woman?[/quote]

Yes Jeepers, please enlighten us.

It was on TV 2-3 days ago, some chinese drama, where the woman takes the guy out to a bar and while he’s in the toilet, slips some powder into his drink. In no time, the guy gets dizzy in the head, she takes him back to her car, and finishes off her prey, a la praying mantis. 8)