(St. Lucia News Online) A local catholic priest has blamed easy access to pornography for the increase in rape on the island.
Priest Linus Clovis said this problem may be prevalent among young boys who are now developing their sexuality.
Clovis said he questioned himself why men of such young age are committing these crimes, but said it may be that they can’t distinguish between an “imaginary woman and the real woman.”
The religious leader said the impression created by pornography is that “women enjoy it”, so men feel they can do this to any woman, and if they do it to a stranger, they are not doing it to a real person.
“The person who is being raped is like one of those images on the internet,” Clovis remarked.
Perpetrators, he said, do not realize that they are dealing with real humans who feels and can be hurt.
Social workers and other specialist groups have said that pornography is a simulation for any person who intends to engage in sexual activity and watching pornography is some form of preparation for predators.
Some research has shown that pornography has potential influences on sexual function, sexual dysfunction, sexual relationships, domestic violence, rape and child sexual abuse.
While other researches have shown that legalizing pornography could lead to lower rates of sex crimes.