Sunday, July 20, 2014

2014 Bangalore Rape Case: A Troubling Reminder of Child Sexual Abuse and Rape


Returning back from a long vacation and getting back into the groove of things, quite a few things have happened. Nisha Pahuja's The World Before Her (2012) has been nominated for a long deserved Emmy! I will be presenting a paper on it during the next South Asian Studies Conference in Madison, Wisconsin in mid-October! Due to the hectic travels and summer, I have not been as frequent as a blogger as I should be but now the time has come to draw attention to quite a few important issues that have gained my attention.  

          A couple of days ago, my bhabhi (sister-in-law) messaged me on Facebook telling me about a shocking rape case of a six-year-old student in one of the most prominent schools in Bangalore. For the purposes of security, I will not highlight the name of the school. Until now, it seemed as if women and young girls were not safe in the streets, walking out late at night, going out on dates, and so on. But the recent rape of a six year old in Bangalore has raised more concerns about the safety of children in India and the necessity of sex education in India. Children (and adolescents) have the full rights to know about sex and its repercussions as it was highlighted in a very popular satire video ending with the statement - "Sex is not a stigma, but ignorance is!" Indeed and more recently, ChildLine recently released the video on child sexual abuse! I will not speak more about it here as I will be discussing about it in my latest Anokhi Media article. However, the focus on this particular blog entry is on child sexual abuse and rape in particular.
 
          Both intellectually and emotionally as an Indian and an American, I am in quite a shock that despite the media cry that took place in 2012, these rape cases seem to be increasing rather than decreasing. Truth be told, my passion to find the answers to these questions is growing more and more with it! As a scholar and as a woman who belongs to this country, I cannot help but overlook these continuing issues that make up India's social culture. Politically, I feel that it is the responsibility of us as individuals to make a change and rely much more on our power as civilians to make a difference within India. While I do trust our government and am willing to see what happens in the next 5 years, I am more concerned about the young, innocent, and marginalized who are left to the sidelines. 


The image (above) is the photograph taken during the protests taken place for the six-year-old rape case that has taken place in Bangalore. Much more interesting than the image itself was what it meant for the people who understood and received it in social media forums such as Facebook and Twitter. Apparently, the issues of religion and race has also intersected and intervened in to this horrifying cauldron of lust, abuse, and crime.A rapist or someone who commits an act of sexual violence or molestation is a criminal. There are no two ways about it! Rape and child sexual abuse is a universal phenomenon. Perhaps, what makes me more passionate about this particular incident is that it happened in one of the most "safest spaces" for a child - his or her educational institution - but the sad reality is that most cases of child sexual abuse or even rape happen in places that the victim is familiar with. The rapist in the case was a Muslim skating instructor, whose laptop has also been confiscated from him. Before the rape case went public and became an international news, a petition was signed by more than 60,000 supporters to draw attention to its severity and directed towards the Karnataka Education Minister Kimmane Ratakar. It is disheartening to hear that this is the first case in which an arrest has been made! 
         I am writing this blog both as a scholar and as someone who is concerned about taking responsibility and ownership for what has happened in India thus far  I want to say this is a wake up call for those who are in India and outside of India to bear personal responsibility towards the issue of violence against women, children, and any other marginalized human being in the society! Its easy to have a comfortable life, to have a great materialistic wealth to accompany the life, but the true meaning of life is when one gives to those who need it! I think this particular incident is a strong reminder for us as human beings, first and foremost! I would encourage all and everyone to speak out, to become strong individuals who are not afraid of voicing out and taking a stand, and draw attention of those in power to make appropriate changes where they need to be - educate your child about sex (and sexual abuse), become strong men and women who accept and tolerate one another, and most of all respect one another as human beings. It all starts from one - pay it forward!