ByAmbika Pandit, TNN | Mar 9, 2013, 01.16 AM IST
NEW DELHI: On International Women's Day, four-year-old Swati (name changed) and her parents were settling down at a new house located in a quiet lane where they can live away from the prying eyes of neighbours. Ever since the child was allegedly raped by the husband of the owner of a playschool near her house in southwest Delhi, the family has been living in fear
A case was registered on December 19 last year, three days after the Nirbhaya incident. Three months later, victimization of the child and her family has only got perpetuated. They had already shifted house twice, and now the accused is out on bail and back in the neighborhood. So, they moved out again.
The first time the landlord wanted them to leave was when the police came calling after the child's father lodged a case. The second time, they shifted from the one-room dwelling where they had moved in desperation because it was too small for the family and the crowded neighbourhood scared the parents. Just when they had started settling down in the third house, the accused was released on bail on February 28. Afraid that the accused may confront the child, the family decided to move again.
Such is the child's trauma that she cannot tolerate the sight of a fan as the accused allegedly threatened to hang her from one if she revealed the truth to her parents. The FIR records this as part of the child's statement. Angry at the accused being released on bail, the father of the victim - a graduate and employed at a shop - is determined to fight the case. To begin with, he has filed an application before Delhi Legal Services Authority seeking a lawyer and is demanding cancellation of the bail of the accused.
The FIR, dated December 19, 2012 (TOI has a copy), is quite revealing. For all that talk about sensitizing the police, the child was virtually put through an interrogation like an adult. The FIR lists a series of questions the child was asked and the answers she gave. At one place, the three-year-old - she turned four in February - is asked, "Aap sach bol rahe ho ya jhooth" (Are you speaking the truth or lying?). The next question is about what happened to her at school. As the child responds in detail, more questions follow, prodding the child to speak.
"Uncle nein kaha mummy ko batayegi to pankhey se taang doonga. (The accused said if you tell your mother, I will hang you from the fan)". The child tells the cops that the accused had abused her earlier too and each time threatened her with dire consequences. Based on the child's statement, an FIR was registered and the accused arrested.
But now that he is out on bail, the parents are living in fear. "My child had become listless because of the trauma following the abuse and has only now become active. Even now she wakes up at night frightened. We are avoiding putting up a fan in the room as she is scared of it. The sight of a policeman on the street reminds her of her visit to the police station. We want her to recover and never see the accused," the father says. Monica Kumar from Manas Foundation, who is counselling the child, said that this case reflected the apathy of the community and the how there is a need to remove the stigma attached to sexual abuse.
The incident has affected the financial well-being of the family. The child's father used to work two shifts to give his daughters a bright future, but now he works only at night as the day is spent guarding his family. "The accused in Nirbhaya's case have not been given bail. Then, why this discrimination in my child's case? The authorities are celebrating Women's Day, but in the current circumstances I feel it is just a show and nothing more. I want justice for my child and protection for all children from such violence so that no one suffers like us," says the father.
Link: Child raped, family lives in constant fear
A case was registered on December 19 last year, three days after the Nirbhaya incident. Three months later, victimization of the child and her family has only got perpetuated. They had already shifted house twice, and now the accused is out on bail and back in the neighborhood. So, they moved out again.
The first time the landlord wanted them to leave was when the police came calling after the child's father lodged a case. The second time, they shifted from the one-room dwelling where they had moved in desperation because it was too small for the family and the crowded neighbourhood scared the parents. Just when they had started settling down in the third house, the accused was released on bail on February 28. Afraid that the accused may confront the child, the family decided to move again.
Such is the child's trauma that she cannot tolerate the sight of a fan as the accused allegedly threatened to hang her from one if she revealed the truth to her parents. The FIR records this as part of the child's statement. Angry at the accused being released on bail, the father of the victim - a graduate and employed at a shop - is determined to fight the case. To begin with, he has filed an application before Delhi Legal Services Authority seeking a lawyer and is demanding cancellation of the bail of the accused.
The FIR, dated December 19, 2012 (TOI has a copy), is quite revealing. For all that talk about sensitizing the police, the child was virtually put through an interrogation like an adult. The FIR lists a series of questions the child was asked and the answers she gave. At one place, the three-year-old - she turned four in February - is asked, "Aap sach bol rahe ho ya jhooth" (Are you speaking the truth or lying?). The next question is about what happened to her at school. As the child responds in detail, more questions follow, prodding the child to speak.
"Uncle nein kaha mummy ko batayegi to pankhey se taang doonga. (The accused said if you tell your mother, I will hang you from the fan)". The child tells the cops that the accused had abused her earlier too and each time threatened her with dire consequences. Based on the child's statement, an FIR was registered and the accused arrested.
But now that he is out on bail, the parents are living in fear. "My child had become listless because of the trauma following the abuse and has only now become active. Even now she wakes up at night frightened. We are avoiding putting up a fan in the room as she is scared of it. The sight of a policeman on the street reminds her of her visit to the police station. We want her to recover and never see the accused," the father says. Monica Kumar from Manas Foundation, who is counselling the child, said that this case reflected the apathy of the community and the how there is a need to remove the stigma attached to sexual abuse.
The incident has affected the financial well-being of the family. The child's father used to work two shifts to give his daughters a bright future, but now he works only at night as the day is spent guarding his family. "The accused in Nirbhaya's case have not been given bail. Then, why this discrimination in my child's case? The authorities are celebrating Women's Day, but in the current circumstances I feel it is just a show and nothing more. I want justice for my child and protection for all children from such violence so that no one suffers like us," says the father.
Link: Child raped, family lives in constant fear
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