By Jenniefer Dkhar
What makes a person a child is his/her age. This is a universally accepted definition of a child that comes from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). The Convention regards every human being below the age of 18 years a child who needs care and protection and must be safeguarded from discomfort and hazards. It is precisely for this reason that the UNICEF has taken up a mission to advocate for the protection of the rights of children across the globe by helping meet the children’s basic needs and providing opportunities to these children to reach the maximum potential. It is important for every person to respect the existence and dignity of each and every individual irrespective of race, colour, creed, gender, religion birth, status. Therefore a child must be respected and revered by every adult citizen of the world as the child enjoys the same rights as an adult.
Sadly things are not going the right way these days. Social evils and crimes like sexual assault, abuse, rape and murder are rampant not only in our state but the entire nation. The most obvious reason is the slow and lethargic legal system that fails to award due punishment to the perpetrator of the crime. Therefore many follow suit and make an attempt to commit crime with the hope of getting away. In this day and age the predominance of violence in our society makes it even more frightening for the future of our children. Children are so exposed to violence and crimes through various media. Therefore it is important for us as responsible adults and as a society to set good examples and lay down fine qualities of manners and behaviour before a child. The actions of children are influenced by the actions of the adults. After all a child emulates things that he or she sees in the adult.
The tragedy emerges when a child indulges in acts that are devious, unethical and evil. Today we see a great number of crimes committed by a child that are usually not seen, heard and thought of perhaps a decade ago. These days many rape victims are minors between the ages group of 3-9 years. Girls especially young ones have always been placed in a more vulnerable position that often leads to their rape and murder.
Our state witnessed such rapes of minors that is not only shocking and devastating to hear and read about but also very disturbing. While the case of the seven year old girl who was raped at Malki has not been solved yet, we hear of another minor being raped by young boys between the age group of 9 – 17 years and by her step-father. At the tender age of 9 and 10 it is unimaginable that these young ones have their minds poisoned and corrupted by such evils. What could be the reason behind these heinous acts? Could it be an overt exposure to violence through technology like media and the internet? The blatant unabashed display of violence like rape and murder on our TV sets through films is one reason behind this menace. Besides a display of strength on the part of the young boys it is also a means to feel, understand and get a firsthand experience of sex. Perhaps they wish to familiarise themselves with the act that they usually see on screen.
The next question is who is to be blamed? – The law, the media, parents and guardians or the society as a whole? Perhaps each has a role to play. The law is very much there but how stern, equipped and quick is the law in dealing with such crimes? How adequately will the Juvenile Court deal with minors who commit rape? They are minors but the crime they have committed is equivalent to the crime committed by an adult. How are the young criminals who are minors to be dealt with? The trauma that the victim is made to go through will remain with her for life. The young girl will have to live with this scar for the rest of her life and carry this stigma forever. No matter what the case may be no amount of relief can be compensated for such a heinous crime as rape. One thing is definite and that is a rape is a rape whether it is carried out by an adult or a minor. To quote Shakespeare in his play Macbeth: “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood/ Clean from my hand?/ No, this my hand will rather/ The multitudinous seas incarnadine/ Making the green one red” (Act II. Scene II)
Can we forget that the individual who was more violent and brutal than the rest of the rapists involved in the gang rape case in Delhi last December was none other than a minor? Is there a way by which the law can mend the ways of these corrupted minds and help them tread on the right path of life?
Can we exclude modern technology and the media? Mediums of entertainment have been misused thoroughly whereby violence that is hazardous to the minds and thought processes of a child is blatantly displayed without the slightest inhibition. Can we the parents simply be surprised and shocked when we read of such crimes in the news papers? We need to be more attentive towards our children’s over exposure to technology, the friends they keep and the places they visit. A person can achieve high regards of another individual and the society and the world through the environment and the ambience that he lives in. Should we not as a society collectively work towards controlling and eradicating this social evil and make this world a place healthier for our young ones and for ourselves as well? As parents, teachers and elders we must instil in the minds of our children a feeling of love, respect and value towards our fellow human beings. We must inculcate in them a feeling of oneness and the pleasure and importance of living in cohesion with one another. We need to mould their young minds so that they learn to distinguish between what is right and what is wrong and not go astray.