Zero Tolerance for Gateway Crimes Against Women and Children
29 April 2013 1:52 AM GMT
We all thought that our friends were crazy. After all who withdraws a child from one of the most prestigious schools in the NCR? When getting admission in any school is such a nightmare, here was a couple withdrawing their toddler from kindergarten. But when our friends explained the reason, it shocked us all beyond belief.
A sweeper in the school had sodomised one of the little boys in their son’s class. It was as much the incident as the reaction of the school authorities that made our friends take their son out of the so-called ‘prestigious’ school. There was no FIR, no police complaint and no action against the sweeper. The housekeeping jobs of the school had been outsourced to an agency and they had been informed. They in turn had simply thrashed the sweeper, removed him from the school and placed him in a mall. When the principal was asked why they had not insisted on criminal action against the sweeper, she replied, ‘If we do so, where will we get cleaning staff for the school?’ She was not really bothered about people taking their children out of the school, all she wanted was a steady supply of people to clean the toilets.
It is precisely this attitude that is responsible for the rise in crimes against children. No consequences. The sweeper got away with violating a child. He has no police record. And he is in a position where he can commit a similar crime again, with no fear of having to face the consequences of his actions. Equally to blame are the people around the incident – the principal, the housekeeping agency and the parents of the child. No one wanted to report the incident. Should the sweeper commit another crime of the same nature – and research has shown that most rapists are not arrested for their first crime, they have generally committed the similar offence at least once before being arrested – it will be because he knew he could get away with it.
The new laws for protecting children under the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Bill 2012, call for stringent action against those found guilty of suppressing incidents. So where does this leave the principal of the unnamed school? The provision for fast track courts and child-friendly proceedings are a welcome inclusion in the judicial system but before the case can reach the court, it must be reported. Â
As with sexual crimes against women, the offenders are emboldened by the fact that reporting is poor. If we want our children and women to be safe we need to get rid of the mindset that forces us to hush up even minor offences. The eve-teaser will grow into a molester and then graduate to more serious offences if he is not stopped at the first stage. To keep our loved ones safe we need to pledge zero tolerance for even gateway crimes like eve-teasing. Nip the rape in the bud, report the eve-teaser should be the motto.
Soni Sangwan has reported on Delhi-warts and all- for several years. She is now a Journalist-in-Retirement, dividing her time between watching her two-year-old daughter grow and seeing the city she loves evolve
A sweeper in the school had sodomised one of the little boys in their son’s class. It was as much the incident as the reaction of the school authorities that made our friends take their son out of the so-called ‘prestigious’ school. There was no FIR, no police complaint and no action against the sweeper. The housekeeping jobs of the school had been outsourced to an agency and they had been informed. They in turn had simply thrashed the sweeper, removed him from the school and placed him in a mall. When the principal was asked why they had not insisted on criminal action against the sweeper, she replied, ‘If we do so, where will we get cleaning staff for the school?’ She was not really bothered about people taking their children out of the school, all she wanted was a steady supply of people to clean the toilets.
It is precisely this attitude that is responsible for the rise in crimes against children. No consequences. The sweeper got away with violating a child. He has no police record. And he is in a position where he can commit a similar crime again, with no fear of having to face the consequences of his actions. Equally to blame are the people around the incident – the principal, the housekeeping agency and the parents of the child. No one wanted to report the incident. Should the sweeper commit another crime of the same nature – and research has shown that most rapists are not arrested for their first crime, they have generally committed the similar offence at least once before being arrested – it will be because he knew he could get away with it.
The new laws for protecting children under the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Bill 2012, call for stringent action against those found guilty of suppressing incidents. So where does this leave the principal of the unnamed school? The provision for fast track courts and child-friendly proceedings are a welcome inclusion in the judicial system but before the case can reach the court, it must be reported. Â
As with sexual crimes against women, the offenders are emboldened by the fact that reporting is poor. If we want our children and women to be safe we need to get rid of the mindset that forces us to hush up even minor offences. The eve-teaser will grow into a molester and then graduate to more serious offences if he is not stopped at the first stage. To keep our loved ones safe we need to pledge zero tolerance for even gateway crimes like eve-teasing. Nip the rape in the bud, report the eve-teaser should be the motto.
Soni Sangwan has reported on Delhi-warts and all- for several years. She is now a Journalist-in-Retirement, dividing her time between watching her two-year-old daughter grow and seeing the city she loves evolve
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