A group of women on Pitcairn Island in the South Pacific are standing by their men, who face underage sex charges, saying having sex at age 12 is a tradition dating back to 18th century mutineers who settled on the island. A handful of Pitcairn women have told reporters on the eve of a trial that sex with pubescent girls is always consensual and that the charges against their men is an attempt by Britain to close their island, home to a few dozen people. Seven men, half of Pitcairn’s male population and descendants of 18th century mutineers who rebelled against Captain William Bligh aboard the HMS Bounty, face a total of 96 sex charges, some dating back more than 40 years. But one Pitcairn mother, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of being ostracised, disagreed with the other women. ‘‘The implication all girls are sexually active at 10 or 12. that’s nonsense!’’ she told Television New Zealand in a report from Pitcairn, a 5 square km island lying about halfway between New Zealand and Panama. The seven men, including the mayor, are charged with having sex with underage girls. British law forbids having sex with a girl under 16. A group of eight former Pitcairn women, now living in New Zealand, will give evidence via video for the prosecution. However, some of the women who first gave evidence have since withdrawn the charges, saying they were misled by police.
