If at all an awakening is needed in this state and among its people then it would have to be in the area of sexual abuse of which rape tops the list. Increasingly the rape victims are children who have not even reached menarche and are unaware of the consequences of rape except for the physical pain and trauma inflicted on them. So far society has only reacted. Awareness meetings and protest marches have been held in the city of Shillong but with little impact on the minds of the perpetrators. News of rape continues to flow in from different parts of the State and the law enforcers have a tough time trying to piece together the evidence. While rape is a heinous crime it is also a symbol of social dysfunction and a psycho-spiritual dilemma which even faith based organisations seem unable to fathom about how to deal with the crises.
There is a state sponsored trauma centre at the Civil Hospital which is mostly frequented by HIV+ and AIDS patients who attend the counselling sessions. There are no counselling centres for rape victims in other parts of the State, not to speak of villages. Take the case of the Williamnagar gang-raped victim. We are unsure of her present status and whether she has recovered from the trauma and can move on, if at all there is such a thing as moving on, for a rape victim. With so many hundreds of cases of reported rapes over the years in Meghalaya we are yet to hear of a conviction. If there were one or two exemplary rulings by the Courts against rapists, it might deter the perverts from running amok.
It would also seem that the law enforcing authorities have so far failed to make a dent in the investigation of rape cases. The police official who raped a school girl in a city hotel is out on bail even though there is clinching evidence against him. In fact the Police Department would have even reinstated him had it not been for NGOs who raised a stink. It is the weakness of the law that emboldens people with criminal intent to follow through their act. However, society too has a responsibility to become more involved in deciphering the reasons for the sudden upsurge of this particular crime and to organise counselling for parents to take a fresh look at whether rape is in some ways a result of faulty parenting.