Friday, October 01, 2004

The horror

When the stories of sexual abuse on Pitcairn Island began to circulate, I hoped that it was a flurry of false accusations: the result of a overzealous British policewoman pressuring young people to produce stories of abuse. The alternative was almost too horrible to consider. But it now appears that the original stories were true - there is a culture of rape on Pitcairn. And that may be part of the islanders' defense. Even some of the island women are claiming that this "tradition" should excuse the men's conduct.

I wonder if the girls of five and seven felt "like big ladies."
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