Thanks to the daily occurrences of rape and murder ofchildren,suicide,honorkillings -the media in God's own country gets a wide variety of sensational topics for reporting and  never- ending channel discussions .I often  wonder whether this unfailing regularity of such reports and  discussions make us callous and even indifferent to the   horrendous crimes like the murder of two little Dalit girls in walayar after rape. The trial court acquitted the criminals due to the failure of  the prosecution, to prove the crime built on a  shoddy Police report.Soon after the verdict, State wide protests ,vandalism,'effigy burnings of Pinaray and AKBalan  Minister  for Dalit Affairs. Opposition party boycotted the Assembly while Kummanam  Rajasekharan went on a day's strike.

 What triggered to rekindle my interests in the case, is the recent  report of the children's  grief- stricken mother's journey to get justice with the support of prominent political party leaders and media.A very respectable Scholar has donated his  prize money too to the girls' mother, a clear example of our lop- sided Justice-

During the 'inevitable' channel discussions, after the tragedy,  we heard the mother of the girl's said, she was an eye-witness to the sexual abuse of   her 13 year old daughter by a relative.The girls' stepfather too says ,he lacked the physical strength to confront the guy and just warned him against entering the house.

It's shocking that the ex Police chief, legal experts or activists did not question the mother about the 'silence',inexplicable silence of the kids which prevent 

them from confiding the brutal torture to their own mother.

Mother also reveals that their  neighbors and the children's  stepfather's friend who shared their dilapidated one room too, tortured  the children .

Why did the parents keep quiet about those wolves till they lost their second child too,  hardly  a couple of months after the elder girl's alleged suicide. According to   the mother, the elder girl was abused even in her Valyamma's house and also  she brought her daughter from the hostel ,after her reaching puberty an Year ago, Is n't it puzzling to  think that she brought her back to her one- room house which is shared even by her husband's friend,  who happened to be one of the accused?

A glimpse of the 'Kanchankode Govt. Vocational Higher Secondary School and the well- furnished class-room  of the  elder girl's, gives the impression of a well- maintained School with enough staff members .According to the girls's teacher, they all noticed the girl's restlessness and reluctance to sit on her seat .Further, she happened to notice the girl's drawing a beautiful butterfly savagely destroyed by attackers . Though referred to the School Counsellor,  she failed to break the stoic silence of the girl.How strange-!

A closer look at this tragedy shows blood in parents", Teachers,  neighbors', why   even  on younand I .If only somebody could break the 'silence' of those butterflies butterflies they  would not have been brutally killed for someone's sport.when the little girl painted the helpless butterfly and its destroyers ,was n't she crying for help? 

To begin with,  the role of parents,  especially a mother's is of paramount importance to a child .A mother should be the trusted friend, confidante, guide ,in short a problem- solver.For that, the child should have immense confidence in his mother to discuss all the problems with her. 

Very often children hide bitter experiences for fear of either punishment or being branded as a liar as in almost all child abuse cases, the abuser is often a family member or a trusted family friend or teachers .

In Kollam, Victor Daniel,a grandfather murdered his own grand daughter after years' of constant rape and torture 

There are many such cases of father, mother's paramours with the help of child's mother, raping young children.   

The Catholic clergy and the 'spiritual Gurus' of the Hindus successfully buy the silence or convince the victims to help them in their own sex- exploitation. Remember, how Robin Vadakkanchery impregnated a 16 year old girl and bought  the 'silence' of the entire family and 'confession' of the girl's own father committing the heinous crime- 

Kerala, no doubt, is a paradise for tourists. -  But, the organized sex- rackets show that the foreign pedophiles  enjoy their 'house-boat' stay  with not only kallu (local toddy' and 'karimeen' fry,   but also the  company of their 'young escorts'  from poor families.These tourists know only too well that a child grew up in extreme poverty, where  survival is the only goal, falls an easy prey to them.

After the Delhi gang-rape, Justice Verma commission ,set up to reform and reinvigorate anti-rape law, gives valuable suggestions to combat this sexual exploitation . POCSO act recommends stringent punishment for rapists

Though Verma commission does not recommend Capital  Punishment, they are not against castration or life sentence life meaning the end of natural life.

Based  on our Constitution's Art14,'Right to Equality, in their 630 pages' report  justice Verma Commission  recommends effective remedial measures to prevent sex-exploitation .

Sex Education,  trained  counselors for all Schools,a very  loving, close and healthy atmosphere at home ,Schools ,neighborhood and workplaces etc are some of the recommendations of the Committee 

 Further, improvement  in the working of Government,  Police Force, monitoring agencies to prevent sodomy and lesbianism in Orphanages and Shelter Homes are also suggested as the important measures.

A  lovable and emotionally close relationship and a friendly atmosphere  at home is the right of every child. Over- ambitious parents push their children to unrealistic goals ,vicariously trying to fulfill their own unfulfilled dreams .

Children  spend most of their time in Schools.So, it is essential to have a healthy, teacher - Student relationship, where the students feel free to open up.It is sad ,now a days, the School too concentrates on success at any cost ,academic or non- academic.Have n't you noticed how media go ga- ga over achievers hardly realizing the damage they give to the psyche of a mediocre child? Parents and teachers  throw 

discretion to the winds by comparing the brilliant with the average.

Instead, we should love our children unconditionally, make  sure they get the right values in life to make them beautiful human beings.

Also, remember ' Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty"and  so not only parents and teachers ,every one of us should be vigilant in such cases . As  Martin Luther

King correctly puts it, " The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by good people".   

 

So, let us take a New Year Resolution to get involved in fighting such heinous crimes against our children.if every one takes up that responsibility  World would certainly a better place to live in

As the great poet says , " Bliss was in that dawn to be alive, but to be young was very Heaven"