A series of horrific incidents involving sexual assault of minors has come to light in India and Pakistan during recent days. Rape of a 15-year-old girl in Haryana (India) sent shock waves across the country after it was revealed that she suffered ruptured lungs as her aggressors took turns abusing her. In an incident of similar brutality, a seven-year-old child was brutally raped before her body was hurled onto a garbage heap in Kasur (Pakistan). Feelings of shock, disbelief and revulsion are natural in such cases. However, this is not the first time such savagery has taken place in the subcontinent.
We all remember the public outrage that erupted over the fatal gang-rape of a medical student in Delhi in 2012. That incident sparked tougher punishments for rapists and improved policies for police handling of assault cases. The idea was to encourage more victims to report attacks and sensitise the general public of ways to deal with the issue. Five years on, the record on sexual violence continues to remain grim despite authorities vowing to stamp out the scourge.
Sadly the statistics on rape is awful. Around 36,000 minors in India were sexually assaulted in 2016 according to official figures. A few years ago, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child noted that one in three rape victims in India was a minor. It is no different in Pakistan where sexual abuse of children is very widespread.
While laws regarding rapes are being changed, it is important that people’s outlook towards sexual violence undergoes a change, too. Awareness and sensitisation remain critical, but society needs to change its attitude to protect the most vulnerable — our children.
