NEW DELHI /PATNA :  In this age of rapid cultural and economic advancement, there are stories that touch our hearts and force us to think – is the world fair to everyone?It is a story of minor girls in a remote corner of Bihar who face an uncertain future. After being raped at an age when they are supposed to play and learn, the girls have been left ‘burdened’ with pregnancy.
The epicentre of this tragedy is Katihar, where more than 12 incidents of rapes of underage girls have been reported in the last one year in three villages.For these girls studying in classes 6 to 8, the dilemma now is – should they go to school or take care of their yet-unborn children l.Moreover, the girls are not even sure whether they will survive the birth of their children due to their age.
To add salt to their wounds, they have not received any help from the administration. And culprits – they continue to roam free in the face of police inaction. This Reporter spoke to two such girls – Pinki and Sabina (both names changed).14-year-old Pinki used to happily go to school. She was studying in class 6. She wanted to achieve something for her mentally unstable parents.
However, there was always a danger lurking in her mind – of one Rahul, who used to regularly harass her while going to school. One day, she was kidnapped while coming back from school and raped at knife-point.Threatened with life if she spoke about the incident, Pinki could not prevent repeated rape attempts which stopped only when she became pregnant at age 14. Her molester refused to marry, and shame forced her to quit school – her dreams lay shattered.
Sabina, 13, was studying in class 8. Her life came to a standstill when she was raped by the nephew of school manager Wasim Raja inside school premises.When the helpless girl approached the school manager to complain, she was asked to take Rs 8,000 and abort her child. When Sabina refused, she was threatened with death and kicked out of school. Like Pinki, Sabina too was left with a bleak future staring at her.
While Zee Media cannot disclose the real names and villages of the victims, such stories continue to remain buried in rural and urban corners of India.It’s time the nation realises there can be no meaningful advancement of human civilisation if we cannot protect our young children from abuse and rapes.