Srinivas Kamat
Maneka Gandhi, Minister of Women & Child Development, has announced the setting-up of a 4-man panel of retired judges to probe the allegations that have emerged in what is called the India #meToo scandal which involves primarily established women in the entertainment field complaining of old sexual complaints against ageing film stars and celebrities to take out their dormant grievances.
This movement is being dubbed as a battle of women for their rights. While the National Records Crime Bureau (NCRB) reports that every hour, 2 girls below the age of 18 were raped in India during 2016; 44% of kidnapping of girls in that year were from the same age group who are trafficked for labour and prostitution. For child rape, despite the increase in reported cases the conviction rate is low at around 28%. The disposal rates of cases are also low with the police able to clear only 64% of the cases.
Such instances of child rape with killings are continuing to this day with increasing frequency. Just recently after the molestation and rape of an infant in Gujarat by a migrant worker from northern India thousands of migrants from that region had to flee the State after a major law and order situation that enveloped northern Gujarat. These victims of rape and sexual abuse come from the more economically deprived strata of our society.
Do these victims not have the same rights as those claiming sexual attacks in the #meToo movement? Why has Maneka Gandhi not woken up to the fact of child rape in the country as on date and announced a panel to go into why these are happening and to put an end to it so that all our girl children are able to grow into mentally scar-free women?
Even in matters of sexual attacks will we bend to the claims of privileged women while neglecting similar and in fact more grievous attacks which sometimes result in death against the poorer females in our society?
The Minister should therefore immediately appoint a high-powered Committee to go into the causes of rape of the girl child and take steps to reduce its incidence on topmost priority.
