The manhunt for a serial rapist made front page news this week. Police on Monday arrested a suspect they believe has attacked 12 mainly elderly victims, two of whom were murdered. The ordeal has raised questions as to why a young man would rape elderly women and what, if anything, is being done to address the plight of his victims.
The extent of sexual violence against older women may be far greater than what reports suggest. To get to the bottom of this, it is crucial to conduct a study of sexual assaults on women aged 60 and over, which would not only shed light on the nature of rape itself, but hopefully reaffirm the fact that rape is more about power than sex.
Researching the subject online, I found that sexual assault of aged women has been the topic of few studies on rape. As a result, there is insufficient information on the issue.
There is a common thread that runs between sexual abuse of children and that of elderly women. One group is at the start of their lives and the other at the end, both are vulnerable, both are easily preyed upon and both are unlikely to be believed. A large percentage of all reported rapists are believed to be acquainted with their victims. I wonder how many senior citizens in our communities have fallen victim to such a heinous crime and suffered in silence because of shame and embarrassment.
It is only when sufficient research is carried out that we will see the truth. Certain research suggests that rapists who target the elderly are exceptionally hostile toward — and feel belittled by — women. An American study theorised that older women symbolise an authoritarian figure over whom the offender desires control — or an actual person upon whom the rapist wants to take revenge. The motivator of rape, the study revealed, is not about the physical act itself, but more often about degradation, hurt and humiliation of the victim.
It went on to suggest that this "arousal" may stem from rage, nervous excitement or fear. Because of the elevated status many in Asia afford the older generation, one might imagine that the rape of elderly women is a rare, horrible and peculiarly unnatural crime
I believe this is far from the truth.
If we were to conduct research, I bet that it would become evident that rape of aged women is not only commonplace, but that the number of reported cases is actually on the up.
Due to this, I believe the numbers of sexual attacks on the elderly should be properly documented.
I would suggest Galya Rajanagarindra Institute of the Department of Mental Health begin by closely monitoring sex offenders and attempting to rehabilitate them before they commit more crimes.
Letting them off the hook with a slap on the wrist sentence and not requiring them to enter a mandatory treatment programme only makes an already volatile situation worse.
When it comes to this particular case, the perpetrator seems to have covered his tracks methodically, poisoning the pet dog so barking would not raise suspicion among neighbours and cutting telephone lines to give him time to escape.
Needless to say, physical assault leaves victims physically defiled and emotionally devastated.
It is pivotal for crime investigators to be cautious and exercise empathy when questioning them. Psychologists and counsellors should be on hand to support victims through this ordeal. The victims should not be left alone, to be dealt with only by family members.
The silence and invisibility of the victims, their sense of shame and the limited amount of research on the subject mean we can only speculate on the nature and extent of their trauma.
I believe the real shame is not the kind elderly women feel after being raped, but society's ignorance of the subject.
Yvonne Bohwongprasert is a writer for the Life section of the Bangkok Post.