Child rape: An unpardonable offence

The rape of three year minor girl in Sumbal area of North Kashmir’s Bandipora district is a severe blow to public morality in Kashmir as it gives an indication that there is no safe place for children in valley. The incident reminders the government of its responsibility on round the clock security and safety of children within and outside the schools. Since the bathroom of a government school has been used by the accused to commit the rape on three year minor girl in Sumbal area, the deployment of security guards for the protection of schools is one among the several larger options available with the government to ensure security and safety of children within and outside the schools. Hurting and humiliating it is that schools are becoming safer places for criminals for committing the heinous crime like rape and unsafe for the children who become vulnerable to several kinds of crimes. So while government has to wake up from deep slumber to address the issue of security and safety of children within and outside the schools, the society too has to come forward to ensure ostracisation of the accused till the victim gets justice. In almost every rape case government assures a fast track investigation to punish the guilty but the control measures are not put in place for the prevention of rape incidents. Had the government taken some control measures to prevent the rape incidents, two minor girls won’t have been raped in two consecutive years in Jammu and Kashmir- one in Kathua and now another one in Sumbal.
As victim consequently suffers from the problem of social ostracisation better it would be for the society to ostracize the accused and his family so that victim during the process of the investigation and trial of the accused in the court does not suffer from psychological effects of embarrassment, disgust, and depression. While the civil and police administration have to keep their word on fast tracking the investigation and punishing the guilty, the society has to ensure that the accused and his family are ostracized to sent out a warning to criminals that they along with their families will have to face social ostracisation if they tend to commit crimes again and again which would sent out a message that rape of child in an unpardonable offence before the government and as well as the people.