PARENTS PROBABLY WAIT FOR A BADA DHAMAKA

Over half of the children who were surveyed had faced some form of sexual abuse, says a study conducted by WCD Ministry in 2007. However, this abuse was mostly committed by either the neighbour, family member or the doctor. Child sexual abuse, not being a very modern practice used to take place but was not a much talked about topic previously. However, with time, people have understood the importance of both, talking about it and taking actions against it. Every day, 8 cases of sexual crime against children get registered and about 6,816 cases were registered from November, 2012 to March,2015. The child crime is on the rise. But what has led to such rise in child abuse....did they not take place in the past or were they kept hidden????

Shilpa ( not  the real name), 20 , who now is an engineering student breaks the silence. “ Uncle on the ground floor  always asked me to keep the change whenever I used to bring Mishri for him and on the days of Aunty’s absence at home, he used to call me at home and put the chocolate in my frock”, says Shilpa. “Asking me to search for the chocolate, he would remove my frock....”, she adds. Shilpa was just 8 then...

Arnav, 19, recalls his aunty beating him up with belt if he ate more than two chapatis and making him stand for hours at the age of 5. Arnav’s parents used to send him at his aunty’s place in Pune during vacations, so that he learns to be disciplined.

Priya 22, talks about how she used to go classes using long route because a boy in her colony used to stalk her...and sometimes loiter around on bike throughout her way. However, she was just 13 then.

Viraaj, 18, talks about a Dada in her building who used to force kids to drink alcohol and watch homosexual porn by taking them all at his home,during vacations.

In all these four cases the victim either never spoke to his/her parents or was not heard by them. Usually, in cases of child abuse, the parents of victim ask him/her to be quiet because lodging a complaint would spoil their names. May be such parents wait for a bada dhamaka to happen.

One of the biggest mistake that Indian parents do commit is that they do not talk frankly with their kids...though they pretend to be frank with their kids....they get offended if a child confesses his/her affair...how come these kids will confess such abuses??? And more than anything when are the parents going to be stringent about such crimes whose victims are no one...but their kids??

Posted by- Pandey Kavita

MACJ, PART-I