The shocking sexual assault on two nursery children in Thane, Maharashtra which comes against the backdrop of the horrific rape and murder in RG Kar Medical College, Kolkata is yet another blemish and a wake-up call for society. The Thane incident has sent shockwaves across the country, leaving citizens traumatised and angry over a system that is repeatedly failing. There is a palpable feeling that even kids are not safe any more.
The children, aged just four years, were sexually assaulted by the school sweeper in the washroom of an English medium school on August 16. The accused has been arrested while the management has suspended the principal and dismissed the class teacher. Outside, tension filled the air as protesters blocked roads and trains and demanded immediate justice.
Nothing much appears to have changed between the horror of Kolkata and Thane. In RG Kar Hospital, the parents of the raped and murdered doctor were made to wait for three hours and subsequently, the father was allowed entry to see his daughter for a short while. In Thane, the parents were made to wait for 11 hours before FIR was registered. Besides, serious lapses at the school have come to the fore including the lack of female attendants and basic safety requirements. And the CCTV cameras were found to be non-functional.
The inhuman attack on these innocent and vulnerable children has brought to the forefront the stark reality of the deep-seated systemic loopholes that have been exploited time and again -- whether it is women on the street or children in schools. The thought of these innocent souls being exposed to such unspeakable cruelty is a stain on our collective conscience. The incident has happened in Thane, but anguish and pain will be felt by parents across the nation, including Goa where children are left in the custody of educational institutions.
The immediate reaction to such a dastardly act is a call to bring perpetrators to justice. But while that happens, we need to understand that rapes and crimes against women are not entirely about justice delivery. We as a state or a nation have a bigger role to create an environment that respects the dignity of children and women. India has reported an estimated one in three women experiencing sexual violence and one in five children undergoing sexual assaults.
The statistics are staggering and the trauma inflicted on victims is devastating. Concrete steps must be taken to prevent such incidents, including bringing in necessary amendments to the law and setting up special courts for speedy trials. There has to be zero tolerance for this. The hesitancy in registering an FIR of families is itself a testimony of how the system views sexual assaults. Accountability has to be fixed on those in positions of power, institutions and individuals. It is our responsibility as a society to provide women with environments that are free from fear, anxiety, and exploitation.
The Central government has taken several welfare initiatives keeping women and girl children in mind, and that’s a major positive. Schemes like Mukhyamantri Kanya Suraksha Yojana, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Ladli Lakshmi Yojana and several others are well-intentioned initiatives keeping women in mind. These schemes would, however, be meaningless if the government fails to do its best to protect the dignity of women.
The Thane horror serves as a stark reminder of the need to provide safe spaces for our children.
