Minor Girls Sexually Abused By Landlord's Son; Accused Continues To Live In The Same Locality

Pinky and Priya (names changed) used to spend hours alone at home as both their parents - who were both daily wage earners - went out for work. Taking advantage of their vulnerability, their landlord's son started sexually abusing them. He would show seven-year-old Pinky and eight-year-old Priya pornographic material and force them to perform oral sex, threatening them to keep quiet or face dire consequences. Unable to bear this anymore, the traumatised sisters finally broke down and narrated their ordeal to a neighbour, who contacted Bachpan Bachao Andolan for help.

Also Read: Bachpan Bachao Andolan Helped 5-year-old Gudiya, A Child Survivor, To Get Justice After 7 Long Years

Dolly Joshi, Activist, Bachpan Bachao Andolan told NDTV,

We got a complaint on November 29, 2020, where a girl told us that two little girls named Pinky and Priya were sexually abused and they live in a locality.

With Bachpan Bachao Andolan's intervention and legal support, the children have received an interim compensation of one lakh seventy five thousand rupees.

Also Read: A Gang-rape Of A 14-Year-Old From Bhopal Highlights The Dangers Of The Internet For Children 

Concerned about the safety of the children, as the accused and his family lived in the same locality, the siblings were relocated to a shelter home on the directions of the Child Welfare Committee. Dolly Joshi, Activist, Bachpan Bachao Andolan told NDTV,

We lodged a complaint after the children told us what had happened. Our focus was to send them to a safer place. They were living in the same vicinity. It was important to take them out of that area and relocate them to a safer place. It was our job to alert the concerned authorities. We took the case to the Child Welfare Committee. They are authorised to allot a safe space. We narrated the incident to them. We spoke to the children and recorded their statements. They knew that the children have to be shifted to a safer place. They sent them to children's home.

The accused, who had been arrested as he surrendered in court after being on the run initially, however, is now out on bail. This makes it difficult for the children to be reunited with their parents even now.

Also Read: 7-Year-Old Afsana's Ordeal At The Hands Of Her Father

First being sexually abused, then being separated from the family, the ordeal has had a huge psychological impact on the children. Dr. Nimesh Desai, Director, Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS) told NDTV,

Unfortunately, the biggest impact on the victim child and family is psychological and mental health at all levels: Immediate, short term and long term. The immediate impact is shame, guilt, terrible embarrassment and worse. Ever so often, suicidal thoughts occur in the child's mind. The short-term thoughts are depression, total isolation, school performance suffering, all of that. Long term, there are issues of both psychiatric disorders and interpersonal maladjustment that victims of sexual abuse carry.

Also Read: Delhi High Court's Landmark Judgement Sets A Benchmark For Awarding Compensation In POCSO Cases

Like Pinky and Priya, thousands of victims of child sexual abuse reel under immense mental trauma every day and continue to suffer in silence.

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