In light of recent events reported by the media, the spur of cruelty towards children truly reflects the gruesome status of child rights in India. It is natural, then for us to wonder, are our children safe? What about the safety and security of our children even in the hands of persons who are supposed to look after them? In this blog, we question not the legal aspect of the cases that have surfaced- but the deep psychosocial scars that children who survive these adverse experiences may have to live with, perhaps the rest of their lives. Recent incidents reported by the media have not only sparked outrage in the public but have also given rise to a deep shock and fear for the torchbearers of tomorrow.
Alleged sexual abuse of a girl child in Delhi by a person who came into her life as a saviour after her father’s death, shudders our spine. Despite being very well aware of the laws relating to children and child rights, the accused allegedly raped the girl child for a long time. It seems we have become slaves of our Id[1]. This is a typical case where the deterrence of law has proved to be ‘futile’.
Now the question is, what is the remedy left with us? How can we ensure that our children are safe for all times to come? Or are we just going to turn a blind eye till the pedophiles victimize our loved ones?
Despite decades of active experience in the field of child rights, we have realized when the protector becomes a predator- you have no easy answers. Having lived a life fighting for the rights of the children in this country- the questions posed by survivors and their guardians continue to shatter us to the core.
The other aspect that gets buried in the media furore is not being able to answer the questions survivors ask you. How are you going to assure her, beta aab aisa nahin hoga, in a society where predators are at large. Whom can the child confide in? Do we have answers to such questions? The poor girl, among thousands of others, has to live with the horror of this incident throughout her life. DO WE HAVE ANY ANSWER TO THE SURVIVOR GIRL CHILD?
Now coming to the incident at Muzaffarnagar and Kathua, where a teacher asks her students to hit a child because the child had not completed his homework. The whole of the class, friend or foe, hit the child in the face and the teacher monitored and asked the children to hit harder. Shame on the teacher and the school management. This criminal offence, which was shot on video, goes to show how misguiding educators can create a climate of fear and religious divide in a classroom that is meant to be full of laughter and knowledge. The question of our children’s safety still goes unanswered. Back when I was in school, my teacher thought it was appropriate for her to punish me in class because I was unable to complete my homework on time. To this day, all I remember is that the assignment, I got punished for, required me to write about gardens. What I cannot seem to remember, though, was what was actually expected of me to learn. I still does not remember the name of flowers and plants. What will happen to the child who was slapped by the whole class?
[1] :
Very apt, expressive and wonderful way of stating the gruesome acts