In light of the recent cases of minor rapes and child abuse, Indian parents are struggling to understand if there are any safe places for their kids?
Sadly even Schools, once considered as a safe place, are now turning into a major hub of child abuse. And, one such recent incident, which not only shocked but also disgusted us, happened with 5 young girl students in a school in Goa.
So What Happened?
As per police, a teacher of a government-run school in Goa was arrested on Thursday for allegedly molesting five girl students. The teacher, Manoj, was arrested after the brave girl students came forward to file a complaint against him to the authorities.
As per sources, Phadte, Superintendent of Police Arvind Gawas shared with the reporter:
“The students, all minors from Classes 5 and 7, informed the school’s internal complaints committee that they were molested by the teacher. The girls alleged that the teacher touched them inappropriately.”
Phadte also mentioned that after the complaint, the school’s internal committee conducted an inquiry and found merit in the allegations.
He further added:
“Following a police complaint filed by the school’s internal complaints committee, an FIR was lodged against the accused and he was arrested on Thursday morning,”
Though the accused has been booked under Indian Penal Code Section 354 (molestation) and provisions of the POCSO Act, every parent is asking themselves how to protect the innocence of their kids and their childhood, when even the teachers who were supposed to protect them are turning into their abusers.
In another case, a 39-year-old primary school teacher was arrested for allegedly showing obscene porn video clips and pictures to three Class-5th girls of a school in Bhavnagar in Gujarat.
Recently, in Madhya Pradesh, when a Class 10 girl raised her voice against her school teacher molesting her, the school’s inaction and pressure on her father to withdraw the case pushed him to commit suicide.
Doesn’t matter if you have a son or a daughter, you always feel threatened about the safety of your kid – you always feel scared that there is a predator waiting to take away the innocence of your kid.
Sadly, the fear of parents is actually supported by U.S. News and World Report’s global perception-based survey on the best countries to raise children in. And, India ranks at 65 out of 80 countries, which makes us realize that our fears are not unfounded.
Wish our leaders would invest a little bit of their time and energy to stop this epidemic before it swallows up our kids’ innocence and childhood.
A Humble Request To Each & Every Parent
Due to increasing cases against child abuse, we, at IFORHER, have a humble request to every parent. Please stay in touch with your kids and, talk to them about child abuse and what they need to do if they face such a situation.
It is very important for us to prepare them better so that they can fight back the abusers in the most appropriate way possible.
Because if we don’t then who? If not now, then when?
In alignment with the POCSO Act, I For Her cannot reveal the names of the school or the victims.
