Minor Siblings Sexually Abused By Neighbour In Maharashtra's Jalgaon

5-year-old Priya (name changed) and her 7-year-old sister Kusum (name changed) were growing up happily in their joint family in Maharashtra's Jalgaon. But things went terribly wrong one day when their parents left home to work in the fields. One of their neighbours noticed that the children were alone at home. He went over to their place and lured them to his house with sweets. Little did the children reaslied what was playing on his mind. Taking advantage of their vulnerability, he abused Priya and Kusum sexually and forced them to indulge in oral sex.

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Shaken and scarred, the children hid themselves from others the whole day and broke down before their parents when they returned home from work. Recalling the incident, the victims' mother said,

When we came back from work, I saw my daughters petrified. They revealed the whole ordeal - how their uncle lured them to his place and forced them for oral sex. My younger daughter was in shock.

The distraught parents consoled the girls and took them immediately to the police station seeking justice. An FIR was filed and the accused was charged under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. However, when the children were escorted to the hospital, the doctor refused to perform the medical examination upon learning that the children had been sexually abused.

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Frustrated at the doctor's conduct and unable to convince him, the exasperated parents turned to the Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation (KSCF) for help. The medical examination was finally conducted after KSCF and the Child Welfare Committee intervened. Sharing the help extended by the Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation, Narendra Patil from the foundation said,

We got in touch with the family and visited them multiple times at their place and at the court. Our NGO is committed to ensuring Justice for Every Child. We get in touch with the local administration, district officers and the police to ensure help is extended to the victim's family. We make sure that their voice gets heard and that they get due compensation so that the victim gets education and health support.

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Standing by the victimised children and their parents, KSCF's team has been making multiple visits to their house to offer much-needed support besides facilitating counselling sessions by mental health experts. KSCF's lawyer has also supported the Public Prosecutor in the District Court and his intervention has been instrumental in ensuring the rejection of bail application of the accused thrice.

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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