Editorial board

The Republic | azcentral.com

Little boys in our culture are not valued. Their innocence is not cherished. Or respected.

That message rings out loud and clear from the odd tale of Nick Olivas. He was the victim of statutory rape at age 14. Years later, he wound up on the hook for child support.

Olivas says he was a lonely kid in high school with troubles at home when a 20-year-old woman had sex with him. Under Arizona law, a child under 15 cannot consent to sex with an adult under any circumstances. Under Arizona law, he was the victim of a sexual predator.

An adult woman committed a crime against a child. But he did not report the crime. Nor did he know he had become a father.

Now age 24, this former victim owes about $15,000 in back child support, plus other costs. The state seized money from his bank account and is garnisheeing his wages at $380 a month.

The smell of injustice stinks to the high heavens.

Of course the state has a role in securing child support from deadbeat parents. Of course men have to take responsibility for their behavior.

But this is about a boy who was violated. It's about a victim being told to compensate the victimizer.

Turn things around. Imagine the 14-year-old is a girl and the predator an adult male. It's harder to imagine placing blame on the girl, isn't it?

The innocence of young boys should not be valued any less. Nor should the crimes of adult women be given a pass.