GIRL CHILD

GIRL CHILD                                                                              Anisha Dutta

 

                             A Girl Child in India is vulnerable and needs protection on proper care. In

 2018, it is reported that every 20 minutes a woman is raped in India. In the same year five

 women are raped and eight were molested every day on an average in the National Capital

 Delhi, India. Then what could be the scenario in rural areas, where crimes are not reported?

 Every day, news of gang rape followed by murder comes up but hardly news of punishment

 is flashed. Naturally rate of crime goes on increasing.

   Indian Law tries to protect rapist not to punish. Firstly, Police Station tries to avoid FIR. The

   victim faces much trouble to register a complaint. Even when the crime is obvious,

 mockery in court over arguments continued years after years. The rapists are not supposed 

 as guilty rather to be proved by the victim, even crime being obvious. In India cases run in

reverse order. Attempts to blame victim and to protect the accused are in regular practice.

 Clean crime is to be established by the tortured victim on process through humiliation.

    Following steps on occurrence of rape are mandatory:

1. No FIR regarding rape can be refused.

     2.       Lady Police Officer will interact and is bound to register complaint.

3.    Immediate arrest of accused to be activated with non-bailable warrant.

 4.      Accused should have to prove himself not guilty.

  5.     Medical Test of victim is not at all compulsory. Sexual assault or molestation is also

done without intercourse. Medical examination if needed must be done by lady Doctor

6.  If the rape victim be murdered, no need of court cases. Immediate Capital punishment

      should follow.

Another big problem in India runs. If the victim survives and be from lower class is not

 accepted by society. She is compelled to stay in SHELTER-HOME, where she is again

 vulnerable to face sexual abuse.

      Sex ratio in India is 930 females against 1000 Males. But this imbalance in not necessarily

the root cause of rape owing to sex starvation. Report shows mostly sexual abuse on minor

 is done by married people. It is shocking simultaneous shameful that 50% of Girl Children

 experience molestation by elderly people in the family. Helpless minors can neither protest

 nor out speak. How to protect the innocent young ones is a big question till unsolvable

 rather a persisting problem of the society.

     Previously it was supposed molestation, abuse, rape etc. occur in low class community,

because they are deprived of proper education. Now it is oblivious that the problem arising

not from lack of education.  There are thousands of instances where crimes are happening

on educated young girls falling prey of educated young boys. Commonly, girls are made

unconscious or semi-conscious by application of drug without their knowledge. Mostly the

 boys got drunk before assaulting. Influence of alcohol make them easier to commit crime.

      Photographs of rape, molestation or nude pictures are used threatening blackmail or

 defaming innocent girls. Mobile, Face Book, Internet are smooth platforms to access. So,

these activities come from mean mentality to look down upon girls considering them as 

 cheap toys to enjoy and throw. Formal degree-based education is unable to build moral

character. Where lies the solution?

    Now sex education in adolescence is a proposal to protect girl. But basic need is to 

    educate male child to honor girls. Verbal abuse, obscene comment, improper touch

    forceful attempt to seduce or establish physical relation are major offences to be

  assimilated and accepted by every boy in his growing period to fix props of morals.         

   Each boy must be aware that sister, mother, grandmother all are women. Every woman

   deserves respect from man. This is the fundamental moral ethics to be followed by male

    dominated society.

     Next comes Trafficking.  According to estimation of International Labour Organization,

trafficking deals with 12 billion Dollars to 32 billion dollars per annum. Prostitution is not the

only aim, but trafficking includes child labour and exploitation of girls for domestic helps on

very meagre wages.

      Mainly South Asia and South- East Asia are the sources from where victims are supplied.       

    The International Trafficking Net Work refers, the number of victims from the above two

  regions to be respectively 2.25 lakhs and 1.5 lakhs per year. The number of victims in India  

itself reaches nearly one lakh per year. Also, 30% of the victims are below 18 years. Recent

report shows, in one year, women trafficking from W.B. reached 2000. Delhi is a receiver of

such victims numbering to nearby 2,500. In this nasty trade, the gainers are the traffickers

and the receivers are no less as they use the victims for the rest of their lives.

To consider the causes of trafficking in children, poverty is not the only responsible factor.

Loss of traditional sources of livelihood, growing unemployment, modification and

growing consumerism resulting from globalization are also other reasons. The socio-

economic situation and geographical location of the family are also the causes. Girls are

more vulnerable to trafficking for sexual purposes.

   The girls who are forced to prostitution are bound to attend 8/9 customers a day and even

sometimes the number may reach 12/14. Among these clients, 2% to 3% are mentally sick

and seek pleasure in sexual torture.

        Porous borders of India are not properly fenced. Taking advantage and influence of the

police on either side, trafficking is an easy way out. Political and economic instability makes

the traffickers flourish in Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar and even Uzbekistan.

   Every year 20,000 victims are enslaved from Nepal, where 10,000 come to India. More

than 1.2 million children in India are caught up in trafficking each year as girl prostitute.

  Hundreds of girls are kidnapped from all over India to be prepared for Commonwealth

Games. These girls are injected with oxytocin to make them more voluptuous for

prostitution. Report of Ruchira Gupta from the organization Apne Aap Women Worldwide

tells that they are taught limited vocabulary of English “Hello”, “Thank you”. “Pls. use

condom “etc. Government starts hundreds of condoms vending machines instead stopping

sex trafficking.

    Most are picked up from Railway stations, Bus stand, Metro Station, Foot paths, Slum

area etc. A fair skin 8-year old girl can fetch $2500 a night and for a dusky skin $2,000.

        Besides sexual exploitation, other factors responsible for trafficking are adoption,

entertainment & sports (acrobats in circus, dance-troupes), bear bars, forced marriage,

bonded labor, false marriage, camel jockey, begging, human organ trade, drug peddling,

smuggling. All these are included in Trafficking Net Work.

       Family, relatives, friends, community leaders, brokers, pimps, owners of brothels,

Political leaders, Criminal nexus all are involved in Trafficking Racket. False promise of jobs

or fake assurance of marriage lures women. At times, the girls are simply abducted.

      Now surrogate mothers are legally accepted in the society. A renting womb can fetch

lots of money. Needy women willing to be surrogate mothers are often trapped by the

Traffickers and end up in prostitution.

        Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act refers only for prostitution; it does not include

protection of children. The “sold” girls often get infected with Aids & H.I.V. Such girls, if

rescued by police or N.G.O.s are not accepted by the society. Their ultimate shelter then

becomes Destitute Homes.

    Human Trafficking has its roots in inhuman mentality. The outlook of human civilization

must be changed; otherwise human beings will continue to be used as commodities in

trading. Conscience and morality must be roused to end such condemnable activities.

      It is a wonder that despite ultra-modern advancement in Science & Technology in

today’s world, human beings can still resort to such barbarian and savagery. 

  Prevention is best achieved by community policing. Public awareness campaign and

community participation are the two keys. Creating legal awareness is one of the most

important factors of any social programme. Legal awareness empowers people by making

them aware of their fundamental rights and strengthens them to develop zero tolerance

against abuse and exploitation.

    Immigration officials at the border must have good communication with Police and Anti-

Trafficking N.G.O.s. Help lines, Help Booths and Co-operating Police Force are very

important to provide prompt help to victims

    Government Organizations and N.G. O s from all regions should deal with this

International problem. They should come forward to initiate awareness among the poor

section of the society against trafficking. The next step is to counsel the family of the

rescued victims to come to terms with social acceptance.

. In awareness camps, mainly three points can be focused: 1. Beware of the touts

2.   Don’t get seduced by the strangers or partially familiar people.

3.    Don’t let children under sixteen get employed as laborers (Child labor is prohibited.)