Bangalore, November 19: Once a playful child, seven-year-old Shrija is now quiet. She talks only to her mother Smitha, 32, and counsellors. The child was five when her maternal grandfather sexually abused her for over a year when her mother used to go to work.
Life has never been the same for Smitha, a teacher, ever since she found out the truth. Kinship for her is now fraught with minefields. For, she is waging a war against her parents and siblings to protect the life and rights of her daughter.
"I am a single mother and had been staying with my parents for over three years. Shrija was a very talkative and playful child but she suddenly stopped talking or interacting with anyone about six-seven months back. She just wanted to move out of my parents' house. I asked her the reason but she did not open up. One day, I slowly gained her confidence, and she broke down. She told me that 'grandpa is touching me down' (private parts)," Smitha says.
But a bigger shock was in store for Smitha when she found out that her mother knew about her father's crime but kept quiet. Her elder brother and sister refused to stand by her, saying it will tarnish the family's reputation.
"I had no option but to go to the police against my father and family. I reached the police station around 2pm that day but my FIR was registered only at 10pm. The officials 'tried to convince' me that I must not bring out my family matter in public and sort out the issue at home. But I stood by my daughter and lodged the FIR," she says.
Her family went absconding and there has been no progress in the case for over four months now. "Had I not been supported by volunteers and counsellors of Enfold Trust, I would not have been able to fight this battle. Shrija is slowly coming to terms with the outrage and is now going out to play with friends. But she has become far too mature for her age," she says.
(Names have been changed to protect identity)
QUOTE
I just want to tell all parents that they must fight for their children's rights and educate them about such sexual and physical abuse."
Smitha |mother
Child abusers thrive on
stigma haunting victims
A group of women are fighting to spread awareness against child sexual abuse
Hetal Vyas
Bangalore: Molestation or sexual abuse of children does not even find a mention as a category of crime in the records maintained by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
In 2011, Karnataka reported only 334 cases of crime against children. In India, 33,098 cases of crime against children were registered last year of which 21.5% were rape of minor girls and about 70% were of abduction and ransom, according to NCRB data.
The biggest hurdle to fighting child sexual abuse in India is the social stigma of reporting the case. "The mother will have to face repercussions for reporting. Also, there are no good laws, policies, training in government-run departments. A minor undergoes enormous trauma if she/he comes into the open against the abuse," activist Gitanjali Gupta said.
Gitanjali and Ritu Reaves, who moved to Bangalore from the US, are working with Dr Shaibya Saldanha, founder, Enfold Trust, to promote awareness on child sexual abuse. They are deploying their networking skills and using social media to spread the word.
But there is hope as the law is being provided with some teeth to protect child victims. Said Dr Saldanha: "The Protection of Children From Sexual Offences Bill 2011 is a big step towards fighting cases of child sexual abuse. The biggest advantage of this bill is that the accused will have to prove his/her innocence and the victim will not have to prove her/his allegation."
The bill also makes it mandatory for a person dealing with such cases like a doctor, parent or counsellor to report it to the police.
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