We constantly have to hear news that jolts the conscience of society. The incident of a minor Dalit girl being repeatedly sexually assaulted by several people over a long period of time reveals the serious nature of the malady we are in. It cannot assumed that the continued arrest of the accused and the strong language of the national and state women's commissions will bring any relief to the above-mentioned condition of sickness. The girl has revealed that she was abused for five years from the age of 13. She is said to have been abused by more than 60 people. A POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) case has been registered against more than 40 people. More than 20 people have been arrested. The girl, who is an athlete, was exploited by her classmates, coaches, teammates, friends and even close residents, as the girl has revealed in her statements to the Child Welfare Committee. Schools and public places have become places of misery for girls. Every parent sends their girls to sports training by trusting their teammates and coaches. The incident also raises serious questions about how safe children are. This atrocity comes to light while the incident where a young girl had to sacrifice her life in a charnel ground for questioning the exploitation of her karate coach is still in public memory.
This is not the first such incident in Kerala. The very names of many villages are remembered by Malayalis for the sexual abuses committed against their daughters in those. It has to be said that the leaders who return home after declaring that they will punish the perpetrators and receive applause and votes have not done justice to those declarations, to the children, or to the parents of Kerala. Let us hope that they will not let down at least this daughter who came forward openly against the offenders. The action of including the parents of the girls who were sexually abused and murdered in Walayar in the case was also revealed the other day. The interest behind including the parents in the list of accused in such cases where the accused has influence and party and family ties need to be seriously discussed. It is an undeniable truth that the poverty and backward social environment of the girls in Walayar and Pathanamthitta were exploited. The exploiters also took advantage of the parents' ignorance. It must be said that most of the projects and plans that the society or the government is doing for the progress of the underprivileged and backward classes remain lines drawn on water.
It may not be possible to correct past mistakes. Will the authorities now be ready to conduct a timely investigation and ensure appropriate punishment for the culprits, at least in the newly revealed case, without giving in to vested interests? The Kerala model we have been seeing for some time is an organized narrative that makes the victim look bad if the list of the accused someone held in favour. The shameless collusion between the two political fronts to save the accused and spoil the case is another. Kerala is expecting an uncompromising approach, at least this time. Let us not destroy it. And this calls for total vigilance from the people.