Investigations must go beyond political
interference.
The gang rape of a young student by six teachers in a girls’ college in
Patan in Gujarat underscores the extreme vulnerability of women to
sexual violence by persons known to them. The girl has said that she
was gang raped by the teachers around 14 times over the past six
months. Reports suggest that the victim is not the first in the college
to have been raped by the teachers. Scores of students have alleged
that they were molested or pressured for sexual favours by the
teachers. It appears that at least six other girls were gang raped.
Students have said that they were forced to endure the abuse because
the teachers graded their work and were in a position to make or break
their careers. The Gujarat government has ordered a magisterial probe
into the matter.
It has been reported that the some of the alleged rapists are close to
a minister in the Narendra Modi government. Ordering a probe alone will
not unearth the truth. The government must ensure that there is no
political interference in the investigations.
Several cases of sexual abuse and rape of students by their teachers
have come to light in recent years. Students are being sexually
exploited by people in positions of authority. Students succumb to
pressure and fail to report the violence because they fear that
teachers will punish them or throw them out of the school. When
teachers and principals are behind the exploitation, who can they turn
to in the school? Often parents don’t take such complaints seriously
enough.
Fear of social ostracism is the single most important reason for the
silence of victims of sexual abuse. Our society with its misplaced
emphasis on virginity and family honour rather than security and
wellbeing of women blames the rape victim rather than the assailant.
Her character is questioned and her reputation maligned. She is taken
out of school and locked up at home ostensibly to ‘protect’ her. This
makes women, especially young girls reluctant to speak out against
sexual violence that they confront daily, at home, on the road, in
schools and the workplace. Many children are unable to identify sexual
abuse when it happens to them. The incidents at Patan are likely to be
happening in other schools and colleges as well. There is a need for
counselling facilities in schools where youngsters can turn to trained
professionals to help them with advice and guidance on issues ranging
from reproductive health to sexual violence.
http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Feb92008/editpage2008020851210.asp
