Two years ago I wrote an article, titled Porn As Sex Education (www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100208/opinion/porn-as-sex-education.293228). It came to mind as I followed the reactions to the recent gang rape verdict.

One of the subjects we have to address seriously is sex education in schools

Marceline Naudi, former Commissioner for Domestic Violence, remarked that “The punishment handed down is no more than a slap on the wrist but what is scandalous is to have people in positions of authority, power and influence, excusing these young men’s act”.

The Confederation of Women’s Organisations pointed out that “It is indeed astonishing that both the prosecution and the defence agreed that raping a 14-year-old was an act of foolishness”.

While I agree with all this, we also have to factor in our obligation to ensure that detention of minors (the offenders were minors when they committed the act) is used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time, especially in the case of first-time offenders.

But an act of foolishness and bravado by three young men? Not quite.

Being held against your will by three boys, who are certainly stronger, and be sexually assaulted by them is, needless to say, a very serious matter. Thus it is hard to fathom how the magistrate and the prosecution saw it as merely an act of mischief. Comments, excusing gang rape in this way, undermine the gravity of the action and the daunting effect it has on the victim and her family.

On one hand, we preach zero tolerance to violence, on the other, we talk of one of the highest forms of violence, being held against your will by three people and raped, as foolishness. If probation was the right solution, the message given out to society - by the discourse used - was certainly the wrong one.

There is a lot which needs to be done. For instance, we need a better place (certainly not Corradino) where young people who have broken the law are assisted in a process of re-socialisation and of prevention from re-offending.

The law on rape also needs looking into as it is still seen as a crime against morality rather than against the individual.

But these issues concern matters after the crime has been committed. The problem needs to be addressed at a much deeper level, especially at that of prevention.

One of the subjects we have to address seriously is sex education in our schools. When I wrote about porn as being the new sex education for our children, I had pointed out the need for education on pornography.

We know that kids are bound to watch it, no matter how many filters we install, and this is where they will be getting their first sex ‘education’. This will be their primary experience of intimacy, albeit virtual at first, but not for long. Unless they are taught that porn shows sex in unrealistic ways, they may believe that this is what intimate relationships are about.

There are various studies that make the link between pornography and rape, including gang rape. But when I googled porn and gang rape, what came up, before the studies, were two pages of links to gang rape porn videos.

A recent study, The Role Of Emerging Communication Technologies In Experiences Of Sexual Violence, issued by The Australian Institute of Family Studies (February 2013), states in its executive summary that: “The prevalence of unwanted sexual interaction, sexual violence and sexual abuse among young people is significant. Young people, particularly young women, comprise an ‘at-risk’ demographic in relation to sexual violence.

“The ever-increasing use of communication technologies such as the internet (particularly online social networking sites) and mobile phones in the commission or promotion of sexual assault has emerged as a challenging issue for support services, criminal justice agencies, and – with the ubiquity of technology in young people’s lives – schools, educators and parents.”

Later on in the report there is a section on young people, pornography and the sexualisation of culture:

“When this project was conceived we had not considered pornography as a significant factor in understanding how young people navigate the world of social networking and mobile phone technologies as it relates to sexual violence.

“Yet, as we began to talk to practitioners, educators, advocates and counsellors, it became clear that they almost all see pornography as an important factor in how many young people engage with their early sexuality and that it can be an influential lens through which young people develop their understanding of the sexual landscape and their own expectations within that space… how young people might be engaging with pornography and how this intersects with young people’s experiences of technology and sexual violence.”

Two years ago, I concluded my article on porn as being the new sex education thus: ‘The existence of porn and its easy access must be acknowledged and put on the school curriculum. The Personal and Social Development syllabus must include pornography and its effect on relationships…”

This issue obviously remains relevant today and the Education Minister agrees that we must work on it.

In the meantime, while the global traffic ranking for the website Xhamster free porn videos is at 44, Malta’s is higher at 37.

Our children must be well-prepared for this reality.

Helena Dalli is Minister for Social Dialogue, Consumer Affairs and Civil Liberties.