There are many laws which Jamaicans wish they could change and some which they feel are unfair and biased. The Offences Against the Person act dictates how those convicted of rape and buggery should be dealth with.

According to the law, anyone convicted of rape is liable to face a term of life imprisonment. Attempted rape, involving the use of a weapon, is punishable by a maximum of 10 years, while if no weapon is introduced, the maximum sentence is seven years.

What many are disturbed about is the fact that the maximum penalty for anyone convicted of buggery, whether it be with man or animal is 10 years. Buggery is most commonly referred to as sodomy - intercourse via the anus, committed by a man with a man or woman. The act involving animals is usually termed bestiality.

It is commonly believed that both are acts of violation and should therefore be punished equally. Bradford Morgan, 21, told THE STAR: "I think it should be equal. Both are unlawful violations of a person's body, regardless of where is being penetrated. Violation is violation. If they're going to make that differentiation, which is what the law is doing now, they are saying that a woman that was raped is worth more than a man or a woman that was raped in the anus. That would be going against the egalitarian concept that they say the constitution is based on."

Allan Wilson, also a young male, agreed with Morgan, saying: "The punishment should be the same because it is a violation just the same. Both are sexual violations and penetration is penetration. Same crime, same punishment."

But not all are in agreement. Ryan Henry believes that both acts should not necessarily be punished in the same manner. "It is very rare that you get raped and buggered, but in the homosexual context, it would be consensual. In that case, I don't think it's wrong if they are two consenting adults. As for bestiality, I think those people need counselling rather than prison."