Childhood sexual abuse is a major problem in India and one in three rape victims is a child. One in every 10 children is sexually abused once in their lifetime and every second a child is being exposed to one or the other form of sexual abuse. There was heart-wrenching news on Wednesday of a four-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted twice by her classmate in a Delhi school with a “sharpened pencil” and his finger, and no teacher was around to prevent the attack that left the child “writhing in pain” and badly wounded. Sexual abuse is the worst thing that can happen to anyone especially to a kid. The accused is also of the victim’s age; god knows what is in his mind and who must have influenced him to do so? What kind of environment he has in his family? Or somewhere he is also a victim of circumstances?
Shockingly, three days after the assault, the Maxfort School told the parents that it is safe for them to send their daughter again as the boy’s section had been changed. School authorities had no shame in addressing the issue. The police have filed a case against the boy, who is also four, and are consulting experts, as a child below seven cannot legally be held responsible for any crime. The girl’s mother says the school must be punished for extraordinary negligence, but so far, it does not face any case. In Delhi, there are many such cases. School kids get raped, murdered, molested in school premises but the authorities never get punished. There is no sense of responsibility.
In the washroom and then in the classroom, everywhere this little four-year girl was molested. She returned home in great pain and “somehow bore it”. That day the boy had finished eating his food; he had not washed his hands and then touched her private parts. In the washroom, there was no Didi who could help her; in the classroom, her class teacher was not around and the child says he sharpened his pencil and put it inside. It’s the most disturbing occurrence, the pain worsened as the child was able to convey that it was in her private parts. At night, just before going off to sleep, she started crying profusely. She narrated the incident that left her mother aghast. She told her mother what another boy in her class had done to her. She cried a lot and went on the look for an ointment that she usually applies when they are hurt, Arnica.
Mother was shocked to see the injuries; the signs of assault were visible as her private part was red and swollen. The paediatrician and hospital, where she was taken for check-up, confirmed sexual assault. Security footage corroborates the girl’s version, her mother says. She was the last to come out of the classroom when all the children had long left; there was no teacher or attendant around. Looking at whole scenario, the teachers’ negligence is also clearly visible. Parents send their children to school hoping that their kids are safe there, what is considered a second home, in the custody of her second mother, teacher, only to be let down.
Rape is the fourth most common crime against female in India. Childhood sexual abuse proves our country is full of paedophiles that want nothing but to exploit every child they see. People who take advantage of someone’s innocence are nothing but pure monsters some of which lies in our own house/school/neighbour or in surrounding, most of them are very well known to us. India has the largest number of child sexual abuse cases in the world. But here the rape accused is kid himself. For every 155th minute a child, less than 16 years, is raped, for every 13th hour a child under 10. It can be three months to 10 years; there is no barrier for perverts whom to choose.
According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2015 statistics, Madhya Pradesh has the highest raw number of rape reports among Indian states, while Jodhpur has the highest per capita rate of rape reports in cities. Several rape cases in India received widespread media attention and triggered protests since 2012. This led the Government of India to reform its penal code for crimes of rape and sexual assault. The number of juveniles or minors, legally those under 18 years of age, taking up crime has seen an alarming high over the past decade. This should be a particular reason to worry about for a country where 47.21 crore i.e. almost 39 per cent of the population is under 18. According to latest NCRB data, 33,526 cases against juveniles – majority of them in the age group of 16 to 18 years – were recorded for various offences during 2014. This marks a huge spike of 88.14 per cent from the 17,819 cases registered against minors in 2003.
Of the total juveniles apprehended in last year, 2,144 were accused of rape and 1,163 were involved in murder. By 2014, this figure has seen a constant rise with over 380 per cent hike from just 466 rape cases registered against juvenile in 2003.
Causes for concern is that the highest share of cases registered against juveniles were reported for theft (20 per cent), rape (5.9 per cent) and grievous hurt and assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty (4.7 per cent each). In 2014, Delhi recorded over 140 rape cases against juveniles. A year before the number stood at 137. In 2003 only 22 cases of rape were registered against juveniles. God knows where are we heading, and what have we decided for our kids.
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