I have been very disturbed since I hard of the rape of a six month old baby in Gujarat last week. A friend and I started a petition that has till date only got ONLY 138 signatures. This in spite of our efforts to try and mobilise as many people as possible. I shared my pain and anger hoping that it would garner support. For me it was a sure shot as WHO would not be outraged at a six month old baby being so brutally raped. I guess there are some out there who are inured to such aberrations. I tried again to find out what had happened to that little soul. But my efforts were in vain as there is no news update about that little baby. Is she is alive? Is she gone to a safer place? I do not know. A little baby girl from a deprived family belonging to a remote village does not make good copy. Even the media who normally thrives on shocking news is silent. The life of a tiny child does not make a difference to any one. It does not create the slighted ripple in our society or our collective conscience.

Since that day many more children have been abused. A 60 year old predator raped a 6 year old in our capital city, a 50 year old sodomised a 10 year old again in our capital city. Children continue to be raped and no one cares. Children continue to be abused with impunity and this will not change unless we do something now!

Children need to be protected and need to be taught as early as possible ways to protect themselves. We, as a society, have to shed our moralistic garb and accept the fact that sex education is a must as it can be true first line of defines that can give result immediately. A child who is taught about ‘good touch’ and ‘bad touch’ can save herself from abuse as she is made aware of her body and of the parts that are not to be violated. A child that is taught to say NO and raise her/his voice can raise an alarm in case the ‘good’ uncle/neighbour/friend touches her/him in an inappropriate manner. And I would request the cynics and the Cassandras  to keep quiet as yes it may not always work but even if it does on one case, one child would have been saved. More so sex education is a must in  a society that is highly confused and needs to learn to set boundaries. It is definitely one of the many tools at our disposal. But unless the authorities understand and accept it and introduce age appropriate sex education in all schools, nothing will happen.

Education has to be responsive to the prevalent realities. Something that seems to have been forgotten.

I hope more people will come forward and sign this petition. Once we have a sufficient number then we plan to send it to opinion and decision makers in the hope that it reaches the right destination.

Please forward this petition to all the people you know. Think of that little baby who was violated and who suffers in silence. Please be her voice.

I am still trying to come to terms with the horrific rape of the six month old baby in Gujarat, if come to terms you can. Quite frankly only a very sick society can come to terms with sic horror. I had expressed my immediate reaction in a short blog yesterday while I was still under shock and seething in anger. Some friends reacted to the post asking, quite rightly, what could be done as I had urged all of us to become her voice. One friend suggested a petition. Great idea but we soon realised that it was easier said than done. Who do we petition and what do we ask for. Perhaps one needs to try and decipher, if one can, the whole situation.

My friend wrote in answer to my comment asking the deafening why: many reasons…women and children and second rate citizens, perps go scott free and even brag. There is no fear in the minds and hearts of the monsters. Everything she says is right. But there is more. If such incidents were isolated one would qualify the perpetrator as ‘monsters’; but rapes of toddlers in safe places like schools happens with sickening regularity. And in spite of the outrage, the anger, the lip service promises, nothing changes. So have we become a land of monsters and beasts. The statistics of child sexual abuse seems to point in that direction. Or are we a land of cowards who are able to hurt children because they know that their own kith and kin will protect them in the name of a misplaced code of honour. It is revolting to see how in a patriarchal society like ours, it is the women who shield their menfolk even if it means goings against their daughter! What better champion than your very own wife or mother. Maybe that is where the seed of the habitual ‘ it is her fault’ is planted and add hubris to it and you get the aberrations of your moral brigade and the cause of rape being what we wear, where we go etc. Worth a thought.

But let us get back to the little baby. I was appalled to see that she is no more news. I wanted to know whether she was still alive and listened to all news bulletins and googled like mad but there was no update. The life of a six month old mutilated baby does not make good copy and is not a vote bank either. Whether she lives or dies makes no ripple in our society.

But let us get back to the petition and define the what and who. Every minute lost is the risk of one child too many getting abused. The first thing that comes to mind is how we can protect potential victims. Sadly not much can be done for a six month old but something can be done for 3 years old and those older.

You may wonder why I have put this apparently plain drawing of a pair of scissors. This is what a 3 year old drew after she was raped and being interrogated by a psychologist. I do not think I need to  say more. I just wonder whether our little baby would have drawn the same picture had she been older. After seeing this drawing I could not sleep. It is imperative children are taught to protect themselves and the first lesson is ‘good touch, bad touch’. The next one is to scream NO. This is what an age appropriate sex education teaches to young children and we have to do it urgently. Every nursery school, every primary school has to teach this. But there is a huge problem. In India sex education is taboo. Even our last health minister feels it should be banned! Many across the board feel the same way, be they parents, teachers or policy makers.

So why not petition our Prime Minister, as the baby is from his state, to include age appropriate sex education in all schools!

Too many questions come to mind. First of all the sickening realisation that if the man is given the minimum punishment under the existing laws it would be just even years. The perpetrator of course is  claiming his innocence and his family as always the case in child sexual abuse in India, is threatening the victim’s family with dire consequences. In this case the victim is voiceless even if she survives and totally and utterly voiceless. I ask each one of us to become her voice.

I would also like to ask all the guardians of morality who revel in finding outrageous causes for rape such as the ways girl dress, or the fact that they carry mobile phones what this baby did wrong. Did she wear the wrong diaper or was playing with the wrong rattle. Maybe they will find something in order to protect the man: boys will be boys was what a politician said!

I am totally lost.