...Child sexual assaults are the front line crimes of a (post secular) society which has lost its moral compass When the moral weakness is overlaid with influences of drugs and alcohol for example, self control (personal morality) becomes the casualty. There must be an inbuilt recognition of the need for personal moral rules (laws) for there to be in the individual, a recognition that external laws of society are not simply an objective to dodge, but a personal necessity to obey in order to be a good person (recognising the human propensity to be morally upright) by desire. Sadly, our post modern society is designed against a morality which innately encompasses the interests and welfare of others as an objective which overrules personal gratification from, for example, sexually molesting children.

...The answer to this moral dilemma should be the primary focus of lawmakers. Morality should be assisted by laws of society as a priority to laws that punish immorality: Laws need to focus on removing the impediments or distractions to an upright life (such as prohibitions on alcohol and mind altering drugs for example); and encourage contemplative arts in free society and in corrective institutions (moral failures), rewarding achievements in moral progress. Etc.

dan to make that case you would have to show that child sexual assault was markedly less prevelant during those periods when the law was trying to do what you suggest. I think that will be a difficult case to make.

What we do have is technology which makes it easier for predators to meet and share without meeting. That's probably going to be an ongoing battle, the police will get better tools to catch them, they will get better tools to hide.

Some have always rejected societies norms, up to a point a healthy thing but taken to far and you get to this. Legal systems and education don't reach those on the extreme, at best we limit their scope for harm.

I don't want more law's, more insistance on conforming to someone elses morality, rather laws that are effective against those who harm others.

R0bert

Robert; ...mine is a philosophical argument based on the need to recognise innate human morality (devoid of Christian influence), since I assume to address mostly atheists on this thread.
That position states that humans are born with an innate desire to be good (genetic morality), but have their innate instincts that consider the welfare of others in need over personal interests, castigated by their environment...It argues the need to change the environment by legal influence, focused on removing impediments to a moral life.

dan possibly drifting off topic but ...

I agree for most but not all. Nature for some, nurture helps with others and some just never get it.

R0bert

...Well RObert, I believe the biggest issue our post-modern society faces, is the human dilemma of looking for a replacement for the “lost and forgotten” Christian morality past and dead. There is little hope for an answer to moral crimes such as child sexual abuse, from the phenomenon of a morally lost secular society as now...