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LAST SUNDAY WAS celebrated worldwide as Father's Day and many fathers have been accused of neglecting their responsibilities. But with all the bad that there is to be said about the group, there is also a lot of good. Several fathers have been there for their children, sharing the good moments and the challenging ones. And where there were no fathers, there were other men, whether an uncle, grandfather, neighbour, church brother, who played that role for some child. But the problem of absentee fathers is one which arose from the breakdown of the family. In the past, a man and woman married first before having children. This guaranteed a father and mother for their children, except if one or both died, then extended family would take over. Couples were committed to raising their children and giving them every opportunity at life's offerings. In addition, a community played an important role in the child's development. The church community taught the child right from wrong, the school community reinforced the values taught at home and church, and residents in the community actively guided children to develop the right attitudes. Although not everyone turned out perfect, most children grew into responsible, focused adults. This just shows how important it is for parents and adults to be a part of the lives of each child. Probably we should introduce an international parents day where we celebrate the successes of good parenthood. Celebrate the mothers, the fathers, the siblings, the uncles, the aunts, grandparents and total strangers who have parented children. Good parenting is an essential part of a child's development and anyone who provides the necessary guidance and care should be applauded. That is why people who are about to become parents or involved in a relationship with the intention to have children, should carefully plan. Women should be careful of the men they choose to be fathers of their children. Get to know the man you sleep with or heed the signs which are often obvious. If the man will not make time for you, then he probably won't make time for a child. If the man does not have any ambition, then it is unlikely that he is going to go the extra mile to earn the money to care for a child. If he hits you, he will hit your child. There are signs and often times we do not heed them. We bear the child hoping it will change the man, or that it will keep you together. But having a child is a serious decision and should not be taken lightly. It is good that we can find people willing to go the extra mile for their families. Those men who are said to be bad fathers just need some encouragement and guidance to get them back on track to becoming better fathers and men....

WHAT DO Debra LaFave, Mary Kay Letourneau and Michael Jackson have in common? They were all charged in highly publicised cases of child molestation involving young boys. While there was unanimous outrage in respect of the allegations against Michael Jackson, public comments on the cases involving Letourneau and LaFave reveal that those cases evoked mixed reactions. Some who were of the view that these crimes had no victims, because the teachers only made the boys' pubescent fantasies come true. For this reason, it is felt that the boys did not suffer any psychological trauma. Still others recognise that this represents a double standard, because the abuse of young boys by older women raises the same issues of abuse of power and control as cases in which young girls are abused by older men. In 1997, Letourneau, a married 43-year-old teacher and mother of four, had sexual relations with her 13-year-old student, Vili Fualaau. Shortly after her arrest, she gave birth to Vili's first child, before pleading guilty and being sentenced to 89 months in prison. She served only six months in jail after accepting a condition to stay away from Vili after her release. As soon as Letourneau was released, she went right back to Vili which resulted in a seven-and-a-half-year prison term. While in prison, she had Vili's second child. They eventually got married in 2004 and lived together with their two daughters. Nine years after Letourneau's case, LaFave did not have to ponder the 15-year prison term which the crime attracted. The victim (a 14-year-old boy) refused to give evidence against the beautiful 25-year-old blond teacher, who was charged for lewd or lascivious battery on him. She was sentenced to three years' house arrest and seven years' sex offender probation although she was a repeat offender. NO PROTECTION IN JAMAICA How would this play itself out in Jamaica? Certainly, neither LaFave nor Letourneau would be charged for statutory rape, because there is no provision in the Offences Against the Person Act to protect young boys against female sexual predators. Likewise, there is no statutory age of consent for boys to engage in sexual activities. So, is it then presumed that young boys who engage in sexual acts with adult women are capable of consenting to the act? This highlights one of the glaring deficiencies in the legislation with regard to the treatment of offences which may be committed against men. Although there is no provision in the act which protects young men from defilement by women, section 76 creates the absolute offence of buggery. On a charge of buggery, the prosecution need only prove that there was penetration of the anus of a man, woman or animal by the male organ. Unlike rape, consent is no defence to the crime of buggery. The clauses of the proposed new legislation suggest that our legislators are slowly awakening to the reality that young boys may need protection against older women. However, one wonders what effect 10 years of change in the society may have had on the Bill to amend the Offences Against the Person Act which was last published on April 23, 1996....