Hushing up rape case

EVEN as an 11-year-old schoolgirl’s gangrape by two senior boys in the school — a Kendriya Vidyalaya in New Delhi — is horrific enough, making the matter infinitely worse is the fact that the school authorities chose to hush up the incident rather than immediately root for justice for the poor little victim. But for the police investigation and the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) that have now brought to the fore the crime committed in July, the rapists had been virtually let off and more injustice heaped upon the minor girl who was left to deal with the deep physical and mental scars on her own.

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Surveys conducted over the years point to gross under-reporting of sex offences as the social mindset is still conditioned by misogynist and patriarchal beliefs that criminalise the victims instead of the monstrous offenders. Stemming from the baseless conviction that the life of the victim would be ruined if the crime is made public and legal recourse taken to, the parties concerned tend to sweep rape cases under the carpet. The resultant impunity enjoyed by the male perpetrators has only rendered the breaking of the vicious cycle more difficult. As this particular case sadly shows, even the educated, more aware and urbanised class has not yet snapped out of the grip of this cruel treatment.

The places from where sensitivity among boys and men towards the issue must be repeatedly engendered are homes, schools and colleges. It is instrumental for the dislodging of this deep-rooted social prejudice and saving the girls from a doomed setup. Despite stringent rules laid down to deal with gender crimes and fast-track courts, yawning gaps remain in their implementation. While high-profile rape-murder cases in the past few years, like Nirbhaya, Unnao and Kathua ones, did spur public outcry, lots of ground still remains to be covered. The repeated occurrences of sexual violence are a poor reflection of justice delivery that remains tardy and cumbersome. Quick justice to the KV girl through the accountability of the school authorities and punishment to the culprits is called for. It would be a small, but crucial, step forward.