There was once a little girl who placed her trust on this big bad world, unconditionally, without a trace of doubt. For, never in her wildest dreams did she foresee that one day she’d have to pay a price, a price so dear that she'd be left scarred for life.
Cut to a room full of men and women, twenty to sixty years of age. A workshop is in progress. Everyone is asked to recall an incident, a moment in their childhood when they felt physically violated. Nine out of ten people in a sample size of two-hundred report in the affirmative. And yes you’ve read it right, it can happen to males as well.
Paedophilia is no longer a kinky headline in a daily, happening in far flung places. It’s very much a part of our social reality. In fact it always has been, only that it was never reported. Reports say, most cases of paedophilia never go addressed primarily because they never make their way out of family closets. Because of this, what could have been a minor infection, possibly set right by a single dose of antibiotic, has now become a full-blown case of incurable gangrene, so much so that screen narratives (Mira Nair’s “Monsoon Wedding”, Madhur Bhandarkar’s “Page 3”) and print accounts (Pinky Virani’s “Bitter Chocolate”) now deem fit to address, albeit in small measures, this social scourge.
Very few countries have addressed the problem of paedophilia publicly. One country that has taken bold and positive steps about it is the tiny warn-torn Sri Lanka (yes incredible, isn’t it?). Its Family Welfare Department has been regularly issuing posters for parents, teachers and older children to make them aware of this malaise. Children are encouraged to talk about it, confide in their parents and teachers if they are abused. Adults are counselled on how to exactly deal with a child who’s been traumatized by any such incident. Taking the cue from its neighbour, the Indian government is slowly breaking free from its shell. The recent visuals/adverts on Doordarshan usher a welcome and much-awaited change.
It is something that has happened to me. It is something that has happened to a lot of people I know. Your child (God forbid) can be the next victim. Get vigilant. Act now!
2 comments:
Qudos to Sri Lanka for spear heading the fight on Paedophilia but I am not surprised because of the following facts:
The literacy rate in 1994 was 92.5% for men and 87.9% for women. Gender
inequality in education is gradually narrowing. The proportion of males attaining secondary
or higher education in 1986/87 was 43.8% compared to 42.4% for women.
Human Development Index for Srilanka is at 0.755 (WHO)
India - Human Development Index 0.611 (WHO)
The highest in the Region is for Thailand 0.784 (WHO)
So that Sri Lanka would rise to the occasion is only natural. Where is in India Nithari will continue to happen and killers will go scot free. My American friend always get surprised how these Paedofiles don't get lynched in our jails because in either USA or UK they are deemed as the worst of the criminals and are brought to justice by the inmates themselves.
One more thing vigilance is fine but also have a channel of communication with your child and find out what's happening their lives and listen carefully and don't ignore their comment as mere non-sense. Crimes are committed by people around us and they do not drop from an alien space ship for crying out loud!
About Time, Amen! But I wonder just how effective it will be in a country which is scared even to acknowledge the reality of the bird and bees in schools and colleges. 'Its not good', every politician has screamed at the top of their voice. Has not knowing STOPPED any sex-crimes before?
I agree with illusions that parents should be in tune with their child and be able to instill the confidence they need to open up without the fear of being criticized or ignored.
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