Sad! Every Day, One Child Is Sexually Abused In Rajasthan

Sunday, September 11 2016, 08:21:09

Jayati Godhawat

JWB Blogger

Sad! Every Day, One Child Is Sexually Abused In Rajasthan

JWB Post

July 5, 2016

Last month, two three-year-old- girls were raped in Jaipur, which clearly indicates that sexual violence against minors is increasing by the day, in Rajasthan.

According to the State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB) data, in the first half of the year, 283 cases were filed under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.

Basically, on an average, every day, at least one child is sexually harassed in the state.

The SCRB data also affirmed that the number of culprits in these 283 cases was 464 which mean that in many cases, the child was harassed by a group of men.

Unfortunately, the administration and police authority have not been able to identify or arrest all the attackers. The data revealed that till now, the police had arrested only 78 of the 464 accused, while the charge sheet was filed against only 85 of them.

Deepak Kalra, a child rights activist, said in an interview, “The POCSO is a very powerful legislation, which assures justice by promising harshest punishment to the people found sexually abusing children. But the problem is in our judiciary where justice eventually gets delayed. In most cases, it has been seen that instead of the prescribed limit of six months, years pass by before justice is finally delivered. Delayed justice reduces fear among the accused.”

Ms. Kalra also explained how pornography is leading to the increased cases of sexual violence against children.

“These cases are a testimony to the fact that perversion is creeping into the lives of people, and they are venting their sexual frustration on children.”

The SCRB data is a disturbing reminder that crime has no age, religion or parameters. Together, as a society, we have to fight the violence against minors and women, and it will be only possible when we change our attitude and mindset towards sexual abuse and stop tolerating it in the name of honour, shame, societal pressures, etc.