12-year-old From Madhya Pradesh Raped, Threatened With Murder, Found To Be 28 Weeks Pregnant

It was just another day for this 12-year-old who was busy preparing for her examination at her grandmother's house in Betul in Madhya Pradesh. Her parents were off to Haridwar to perform the last rites of her late grandfather. Seeing that her parents were not at home, 25-year-old Yogender (name changed), who used to live nearby, lured her with a bar of chocolate. Little did she know that it was a trap. She felt uncomfortable after having the chocolate. Taking advantage of her situation, Yogender raped her.

Also Read: "Girls Only Safe In Mother's Womb, Grave": Chennai Student's Suicide Note Send Shockwaves

Threatened with dire consequences, if she dared to open her mouth, the child was shaken beyond belief. The little girl kept quiet and continued to suffer in silence for months until one day, on March 11, 2020, when she complained of severe stomach cramps. The victim's mother took her to the hospital where the doctor informed her that the girl was in the 28th week of pregnancy. Medical termination of pregnancy was no longer permissible as per the law.

Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation partner organisation Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) not only intervened to help the family get access to legal services but also facilitated the smooth delivery of the baby.

Also Read: Minor Siblings Sexually Abused By Neighbour In Maharashtra's Jalgaon

Despite the court order in May 2020 that the child should be paid Rs 50,000 interim compensation, there was over a year's delay in disbursal. As per the rulebook, interim compensation is supposed to be credited to the victim's account within 30 days of the court order. BBA provided legal support to the family and was in close touch with the Legal Services Authority. The interim compensation amount was credited to the child's account in August 2021.

A special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court sentenced the accused to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and awarded Rs. 1 lakh final compensation to the child.

Also Read: Raped By A Relative, Young Girl Gets Compensation After Eight Harrowing Years

Sampurna Behura, Director, Bachpan Bachao Andolan, believes that the compensation awarded to the victim is very less compared to what other children are getting in other states. She said,

There is an immediate need to come up with a uniform scheme for victim compensation to mitigate the needs of children who have been sexually assaulted under POCSO.

The child's family also requested BBA to help shift the girl to some other school as the child was too traumatised to get back to her earlier school. Their request was promptly taken up with the Child Welfare Committee and when physical classes resumed post lockdown, she was admitted to another school. Today, the child wants to leave the nightmare behind and carry on with her studies to give wings to her dreams.

Also Read: CBI Conducts Raids At 77 Locations In Connection With An Online Child Sexual Abuse Racket

Justice For Every Child campaign will work to ensure legal and mental support to child victims of sexual abuse and rape and their families, Donate Now