Olinda D’Cruz
The decision of Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi to launch Bharat Yatra a march against child sexual abuse should be a breather for many parents across India with the hope the Government of India will enact legislation in context to child sexual abuse. It is the silence of the government in power at the center and silence of the people of India and behind this silence has grown a monster of evil of child-trafficking which is increasing year by year and now in one year alone more than 9000 children have disappeared, trafficked for sexual abuse and perhaps have been done away with.
But such a decision should have been initiated by the government in power. Neither the UPA nor the present BJP government has not shown any inclination to draft a tough legislation against the offenders of child trafficking or against the rapists who rape infants and children. Any infant or a child though defenseless enjoys certain fundamental rights as much as any adult. Constitution is benevolent to all and it should have been the duty of the union government to protect and uphold the Constitution as regards to the safety of all children and adults.
Rapes are taking place every day in India and it is a fact that India is known for rapes of children and women of all ages. People across India should give backing for the initiative taken by Nobel Laureate Kailesh Satyarti and join the Bharat Yatra wherever possible. Here initiatives should be taken by NGO’s/Women’s Cells or Lawyers Association to push not only protecting child abuse or trafficking but ladies/women’s safety throughout India and push for tough rape laws as prevalent in other parts of the world.
India is a progressive country today with developments taking place in every sphere and some states in India have high percentage of literacy and yet India is known for rapes and deaths of foreign nationals while holidaying in different states in India. On the contrary the Gulf countries which are on the path of development and have less percentage of literacy, the governments in all the Arab countries respect women and provide security to their lives by enacting tough law for all rapists which include chemical castration, life imprisonment and even death penalty.
Many countries in the West feel India is not a safe country for tourists on a holiday and have even cautioned their citizens citing examples of child trafficking, rape and drinks spiked with drugs which led to the death of foreign nationals in India.
