The rape case investigation has been botched up, say parents
Students and members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidharathi Parishad shout slogans during a protest against rape of a six-year-old girl, in Bengaluru . (Photo: PTI)
Bengaluru: The Vibgyor rape case has been fraught with twists and turns, arrests were made and photographs of the accused circulated, the child's story found its way to the media, where it was analysed, taken apart and even doubted. Finally, in the biggest blow of all, the police came out saying their much-hyped arrest of the skating instructor was a mistake. Television news channels and leading publications had plenty to say on the subject, from analyses on what could have taken to place to outright accusations.
Meanwhile, the victim and her family as well as the thousands of other parents who took to the streets in protest could only watch on helplessly, dealing with the excitement that came with every sign of progress and the disappointment that invariably followed.
The information that the child had allegedly abused the rapists who wanted to ‘teach her a lesson’ was the proverbial last straw for the public and caused an outcry both from the police and the several thousands of people who happened to catch the news. And all this will tell on the victim herself, as her young mind does its best not only to cope with the trauma of the abuse itself but the scandal and the insinuations that followed.
Child sexual abuse warrants systemic approaches that are uncompromisingly child centric and prevention must remain the main focus at all times, explained Dr Shekhar Seshadri, from the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at NIMHANS.
"When an event occurs, it is addressed by systems of criminal justice, police, schools, families and healthcare, which generate a flurry of incoherent activity, albeit in good faith, thereby compromising the child's best interests.” The balance between the need for justice and the rehabilitation of the child is lost. “There is an urgent need to develop a protocol-based systemic response ensuring that the child’s agenda healing and recovery - is at the core of the proceedings.”
“I'm fed up with the recent reports. A television channel had reports that shook all of us. I must say that the media has been very unethical in handling this case, it is unfair to everybody involved, the child, her family and all of us,” said a parent from Vibgyor school on condition of anonymity.
“The police have also been dancing to this tune and they cannot, under any circumstances buckle under pressure in this way. The media has a responsibility toward society and the victim, so if they want to present their interpretations of the case at all, they must not disguise it as fact.” The case has been botched up, said Major Aditi, who is part of a task force called The Fighters, Bangalore Against Rape, formed by parents after the Vibgyor case.
“The police haven't handled it well either, they picked up Mustafa and publicised the arrest. The entire nation was angry. Parents from the school seem to think it’s okay to send their kids back even though the rapists haven’t been charged. They don’t think that other parents have the right to be concerned. We need to work together if we're going to get anywhere with this, if the six-year-old victim is to see justice.”
Is all this an attention diverting tactic? “The authorities want to hush it up,” categorically stated Pramila Nesargi, a well known human rights lawyer. “Mustafa was arrested because the new commissioner wanted to look like something was being done. There is no objectivity or any real understanding behind the handling of this case. At the end of the day, our authorities couldn’t care less about the safety of women and children in this society.”
( Source : dc )
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