The world may be advancing at a rapid pace however one thing that cannot be fast forwarded is childhood. Children are young and naïve and dependent upon their caregivers to take care of them and protect them from the evils of this world. However, in cases where parents, siblings, grandparents, step parents, step-grandparents and other family members are either unable to protect their children or are themselves the ones to sexually abuse or molest their children then they are eligible to be punished and served a severe sentence according to the code of Virginia.
In order to understand the way the laws work, it is essential to understand the chain of events that lead the authorities towards any such crimes. The most important part of this chain are the witnesses. And not just witnesses who saw something suspicious happening but also those who suspect suspicious activity. This then becomes a social responsibility for all individuals, especially including medical officers, teachers, social workers, law enforcement authorities, school coaches, staff and any other person who lives in proximity to children with whom such acts are being committed. Failure to fulfill their responsibility can possibly result in a fine that could go up to 500 dollars or in cases of suspected association, jail time may also be mandatory.
All of the acts of child molestation come under the severity level of convicted felony and are punishable by up to 10 or more years along with fines. However an important perhaps the most important aspect to consider in these situations is the children. When the molesters are not directly connected to the children, it is easier for the law and authorities to provide law enforcement officers dedicated to ensuring the safety of these children after suffering the abuse. If however, the molesters are family members, the children have to be taken away from those environments and in most cases put into foster homes in search of foster families. This action is done in the best interests of the children however many a times these children again slip from the claws of the care takers and end up being abused further. The only way to avenge them and hold accountancy for that is to provide severe enough punishments to the abusers that it sets an example for others to be discouraged from ruining the lives of these children.
Lastly, the most important aspect of the punishments is that after a second offence the molesters are required to enroll their names on the sexual offenders’ registry for a lifetime. This entails the life changing consequences that come with being on the sexual offenders list. The first of which is the end of any professional career that the individual may have been striving for along with withdrawal or expulsion from any institutes and rejection of college applications. Most universities, colleges and employers do a background check upon potential hopefuls which includes checking the sexual offenders registry and this means life as they know is over.