Random Reflexions

Child sex offenders, thieves, rapists and criminals of all shapes and sizes are routinely sentenced to be "banished" to some inhabited island as punishment. Those critical of this kind of sentencing view it has a lenient punishment for some - a walk in the park, so to speak, especially for rapists and child sex offenders.

What is actually most interesting about this kind of criticism is that we only focus on the lawbreaker - as in, whether banishment to a remote island community is an appropriate or deserving punishment or not for the criminal in question. We ask ourselves what kind of pain, suffering and depravation of social privileges a criminal will endure on a tropical island paradise. Images of the said criminal going for a relaxing swim, sun-bathing and establishing and mingling himself within the island community frequently cross our minds as we sit in our dingy one-bedroom apartment in Male'.

But remember too that it was not long ago we held to the belief that it really was a terrible thing to happen to anyone. Lenient or not, even today we still consider this as punishment - more suitable for some than others.

So what exactly does banishment entail?

My father, when recounting his days spent banished on an island decades ago, used to tell me that the island folks did not have the luxury of electricity and he vividly recalls the small cuts and wounds on children turning gangrenous due to unavailability of simple anti-bacterial medication. The lack of medication and proper nutritious food was especially devastating to the community it seems - the vast majority of the island folk suffered from night-blindness caused by vitamin deficiency, for instance. One can only imagine the extent to which these little communities were afflicted with untreated diseases.

To make matters worse there was, he said, absolutely nothing to do leading to a general sense of uselessness and mind-numbing boredom among the islanders.

Why do we not see the reality of criminal banishment? It is not about sex offenders finding more victims. Nor is it about criminals having a holiday on an island. The reality is that the punishments are endured by the natives of those islands every single day of their lives - with or without the criminals. People spend their entire lives deprived of basic necessities and essential resources - basically living on subsistence and wasting away in utter boredom.

The act of banishing criminals, many rapists and child sex offenders, is maybe a lenient punishment for them but more than anything it is the biggest insult on the so-called Raajetherey people - the people living in other islands than Male'. The thinking behind this horrible indignity is that island life is so terribly dreadful so we will punish our lawbreakers by making them feel the suffering of living in dead-end island communities. To further add injury to the insult banished criminals are free to continue their unlawful activities on the islands.

The situation maybe different today, most islands have 24hr electricity and medical supplies and mobile phone access, say, but the punishment of banishing has its roots in this mentality, which still prevails today, that the islands are no place for you and me. This is a mentality that stems from how those in power in Male' have always viewed our compatriots from "Raajethere" - as lowly peasants like the untouchables of India - the cleaners and bearers of filth of the land.

Banishment to islands must be abolished. It has to be abolished on the grounds of respect and honoring the dignity of those of our own who live underprivileged lives in the islands. Underprivileged because they have been neglected and looked down upon for so many decades or even centuries. What right do we have to dump the society's worst criminals on the shores of our lesser privileged compatriots and make a mockery of their lives?

It is a shame, really.