SHAME: Why Modi govt is worried about airing of India’s Daughter but not the rapes?

By Prateek Kumar

After the heinous and brutal gender-related incident of "Nirbhaya" that caused an outrage in India, raping the innocent souls for fulfilling ones fetish is considered as a fashion. Rapes now days are the repercussions of fatal incidental syndrome that is considered to be generated because of a generic attire of a girl. But what if a girl is just a child who only is aware of little joys of childhood .

The Nirbhaya case shocked the conscience of the Indian people and brought about widespread protests. As the sordid details of the case emerged we prayed that no one else would have to suffer such torment; a futile prayer for a six year old girl in Ahmedabad who had a 12 millimeter thick metal rod inserted into her private parts after being raped.

The girl was rushed to the Sola Civil Hospital on March 2 where she was operated upon due to the severe damage to her internal organs. While this incident may catch people's attention due to its similarities with the Nirbhaya case it is only one among the numerous incidents where minor girls have faced such torment. Bangalore saw a spate of cases last year where minor girls were raped or molested on school premises. The July 2 gang rape of a six year old girl by her gym instructors at school sparked protests from the parents and led to the Bangalore police issuing guidelines to schools to ensure the safety of their students. Shockingly a few schools went to the Karnataka high court to object against these guidelines, they stuck to their contention that it would drain them of their resources despite the over-riding need for implementing child safety guidelines.

The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POSCO) 2012 has not apparently had a mitigating effect on the rise of such cases. The authorities involved appear to be ill-equipped to handle the post-traumatic needs of the victims and often lack the forensic acumen required to clinch conclusive evidence.

The government appears to be more concerned about the airing of a documentary, titled "India's Daughter", rather working with the judiciary and the police to ensure that the perpetrators of such crimes face both adequate severity as well as absolute surety of punishment. And after, what happened in West Bengal yesterday, where a 70-year-old nun was raped, it is difficult to believe that government will ever take any action in India.