Vijayawada: While the number of sexual assaults against minor girls in the city is increasing, it has been noticed that the majority cases involve teenage girls below 18 falling prey to predators.
Lack of proper parenting and teenagers with a weakness for materialistic pleasures are the reasons for falling prey to miscreants who lure girls into an affair under the pretext of love and marriage.
The number of minor victims of sexual assaults has increased since 2012.
Around 40 rape cases were reported under Vijayawada police commissionerate until November 2013 of which 80 per cent of victims were minors.
In 2012, 46 cases of rape were reported, of which 35 cases were of minor girls being subjected to rape on the pretext of marriage.
In case of the 17-year-old girl battling for life in a hospital after attempting suicide a couple of days ago, she was deceived by an auto-driver after promising marriage.
The accused is a married man and father of a child. While in the case of the runaway girl from Secunderabad, the 16-year-old girl had left home after being lured by a youth from the city but was allegedly raped by the guy and his three associates.
Psychologist Dr T.S. Rao said, “Teenagers have to be observed and be provided sex education. Parents should spend at least 30 minutes with their kids everyday to understand what their children are exposed to in daily life at school or college.”
Dr Rao said, instead of forcing their wards to stay away from boys, parents should allow them to mingle with the opposite sex in schools and colleges to enable them to be familiar with opposite gender and reduce the intensity of being attracted to them.
In every case of minors being sexually assaulted in a consensual affair, parents and teachers are equally to be blamed and society alone should not be blamed, Dr Rao added.
Police are also facing an uphill task while dealing with minors. “It is not possible to look into what every minor is doing if it is consensual.
Things are revealed only when parents make allegations,” said a police officer.Around 40 rape cases were reported in Vijayawada until November 2013 of which 80 per cent of victims were minors
