When minors are raped

Trauma continues after assault

In a country like India where stringent laws are not enough to curb sexual overdrive, where patriarchal nature of society has greatly hampered the freedom of women, safety of women has always been a matter of grave concern. Although the case of Nirbhaya was the most heinous, many minor girls, who barely even have an idea that they are being harassed, are raped. According to an NGO, the city has witnessed 13 cases of minor girls being raped this year. But it’s just not the atrocity, but the aftermath, faced by the family, which takes an excruciating toll on the victims. Here’s the tale of two victims and the torture they are undergoing

The kidnap and gang rape of an IT professional Abhaya near Gachibowli, raised concerns over safety of women employees. The government asserted that the safety of women employees was their top priority. In that context, we should also look into the aftermath of a rape that the victim and his family have to face. Physical, emotional or mental trauma is one and social response or well-being is another. There are so many cases, where the family which has already undergone a lot of pain, is subjected to more nagging by the society.

An eleven-year-old girl from the Chintalmet area was threatened and raped last month by a stranger. She was brutally hurt and admitted to the Petla Burj Hospital and was discharged after a week. The girl belongs to a poor family, her mother being a housewife and father a labourer. The incident psychologically affected her father. He is now suffering from seizures frequently, due to which he is not able to go to work.

“I did not know how to handle the situation, we had nobody to help and support us. Relatives came and just saw my daughter and left. My husband was not able to go to work and we are facing severe financial pressure," said the victim's mother. The area they live in is not very safe for women. Eve-teasing is a common sight. A few men and boys, who have nothing much to do, sit in groups and tease the young girls and kids or indulge in something nasty.

“I really wanted to help the family and so I found out who can help in this case. I called up the ICDS department that is linked to the Ranga Reddy district collectorate and made sure the victim gets some compensation or rehabilitation", said Shridevi, MRO, Petla Burj Modern Goverment Maternity Hospital.

It is such a sad thing that the society still doesn't understand that the victim is not at fault when she is raped. "When we went home, none of our neighbours talked to us, many looked down at us, as if it is our fault. We live in a rented house. I am scared even if our owners are good and sensible people, there is a chance that we will be asked to vacate the place by the influence of other people of the community", said the victim's father.

“We have received the FIR copy from the police station and are waiting for the medical reports to come in so that we can forward it to the Project Director office and based on the reports, the amount to be given to the victim will be decided", said the CDPO, Noorjehan.

“Rape as an act itself is a cruel violation of a woman’s body. Carrying out such a despicable act on a girl child is the most horrific barbarity a man can do. Such deeds are committed because the male mistakenly believes he can get away with threatening the victim and assumes that she will not speak up against it. Now a days with increasing awareness, such criminals have begun to get exposed and punished stringently which can hopefully control such dastardly acts”, feels Naresh Kumar, Director, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan College of Communication and Management.

In another incident, a seven-year-old girl who was raped, wanted to get back to school after she recovered from the trauma. But the schools refused to take her in, for their own void of reasons. Later the local NGOs helped her and got her admitted in a madarsa, where she was provided food and shelter too.

“There are cases where girls are usually raped by neighbours or people who are familiar with the girls, who follow and kept a watch on them and finally when there is no one at home, they are assaulted. The worst are the cases where girls are raped by their fathers since the age of seven and nine and are reported after a longtime. Such cases are still pending,” informs Jameela Nishat, a social activist from the Old City.

“There are so many problems that these victims face like continuing their education, living in the same place and reception of dignity, respect from the society. There are families who live in small localities, where a handful of households reside, who isolate the victim’s families and force them to move out,” she adds.

In the year 2013, Jameela said she came across 13 cases of minors being raped in the Old City. 60% of them seemed to have been solved as per her knowledge. Still the feeling is inescapable, that such cases are still heavily under reported for obvious reasons.