By Ibankyntiew Mawrie
SHILLONG, Oct 20: Fourteen years ago, a 13-year-old girl was allegedly sexually abused by none other than her biological father at a village in West Jaintia Hills but the matter came to light only a few days ago when the survivor, now 27, mustered courage and reported the case to the police.
Back in 2007 when the heinous crime was committed, the girl was impregnated but after being continuously threatened, she did not reveal the identity of the father of her child. The act did not stop there; it was alleged that the father continued to sexually abuse her, leading to her second pregnancy. But she lost the child two months into her pregnancy.
Fast forward to October 2021 – she is now living with her minor daughter. Recently, when faced with a similar situation, she did not step back but decided to report the matter to the police. The accused, according to the police has been absconding for four days.
Looking at past records, we know that this is not a one-off case in Meghalaya. Similar cases have been reported in recent years, particularly from rural areas where the perpetrator of the crime is someone close to the victim.
According to the police data, from 2007 till 2016, as many as 1,793 cases of crime against children were reported in Meghalaya — 71 in 2007; 62 in 2008; 83 in 2009; 110 in 2010; 104 in 2011; 91 in 2012; 183 in 2013; 213 in 2014; 257 in 2015; 240 in 2016 and 379 in 2017.
As far as conviction is concerned, there was zero conviction in cases occurring between 2007 and 2009. In 2010, there were three convicted cases; two in 2011; two in 2012; seven each in 2013 and 2014; two in 2015 and 30 in 2016.
When customary practicestake centre stage
“When the inclination to protect one’s clan/family’s reputation is stronger than the aspiration for justice, many such cases go unreported,” said most of the prominent personalities of the state when asked about the reason behind cases such as these (father raping daughter, uncle raping niece) being reported more often.
The Shillong Times spoke to a few women activists and leading personalities in an attempt to diagnose the problem and this is what they have to say:
Former chairperson, Meghalaya State Commission for Women, Theilin Phanbuh said, “We care too much about how the case will impact the clan or family’s reputation or what in Khasi is called iada burom.”
“We don’t realise that by remaining silent, we are only encouraging the perpetrator, turning him into a habitual offender. A mother has a major role to play in sensitising her daughter and son. Open discussion about sex should be initiated by the mother; this way, she helps her child become more aware and vigilant. There should be a close relationship between a mother and her child to equip her with adequate tools. We are proud of being tagged ‘Matrilineal Meghalaya’ where women are respected, but are we? Such crimes bring shame to our society, our community and go against our belief of the Khasis being Tip briew tip Blei. I urge the victims of abuse to come forward and report the crime rather than allowing it to breed in hindsight. Victims can visit the one stop centres set up by the Social Welfare Department to get help and support.”
Chairperson of Meghalaya State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Iamon Syiem said, “In today’s world, children are more vulnerable, given the easy accessibility to technology. The world is no longer a safe space for children and with the evolution of the internet and technology, children and youths often become victims to all kinds of cyber offences. The Commission is entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring the practical implementation of acts and laws relating to children like the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO), Right to Education (RTE) and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act,” adding that there is a need to reach out to the children of this generation in an innovative way through the help of modern technology.
Syiem informed that the Commission recently came up with its YouTube Channel (MSCPCR To The Light) to try and reach out to as many children, youths and parents — to spread awareness on the various acts and laws that are enacted for the safety of our children.
“This is a new way of keeping up with technology by adopting a different way of passing information to children and parents through YouTube. We joined the digital space to reach out to more children and parents as many of them have easy access to mobile and internet connectivity,” Syiem said.
Former chairperson of Meghalaya State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Meena Kharkongor commented that from past experiences and as a concerned citizen, it pains her a lot when such cases of incest come to light. “I feel family support towards the victims of such crimes is very important; sadly, very often we see that the blame falls on the victim. Lack of understanding and support has perhaps encouraged the men in our society to stoop so low and commit such heinous offences against their bloodline.”
Kharkongor said there must be mass awareness carried out by the respective agencies regularly. “We must engage the members of different villages and localities and young people and talk about such issues. Community participation is the need of the hour. Adolescent counseling must be strengthened at the district levels and follow-ups must be there. Orientation and training must be given by the government to engage young adults and children in this process,” Kharkongor said while emphasizing that victims should be encouraged to speak out without being judgmental towards them and society and NGOs, irrespective of denominations, should come out to publicly condemn such offences and crimes, but this rarely happens.
Stating that the POCSO Act was enacted to provide protection to children from all kinds of sexual offences and to punish the perpetrators, Meena Kharkongor said the courts must deliver justice on a priority basis without much delay and send a strong signal to the people that the law shall not tolerate such crimes against children. Justice must prevail because ‘Justice delayed is justice denied’.
Former lecturer and social worker, Farida Warjri said, “It is tragic that almost every other day we read about instances of violence and abuse of women and girls and most alarming is the recent report of a father having abused his daughter repeatedly to the extent of impregnating here. This raises serious concerns and it is important to examine the problem as a society.”
Warjri added that the culture of silence has to be broken and creating safe spaces for women and especially children to be allowed to speak up regarding matters that bother and affect them is very crucial.
Warjri lamented that the culture of silence prompted by the culture of denial has deepened the crisis. “It is worrisome to think that homes are no longer safe for daughters! If they are not safe within the four walls of their homes, it’s not too difficult to fathom the enormity of the crisis.”
Warjri feels that strong deterrents are imperative to create a culture of fear for the law in the minds of perpetrators. “From giving space to children and women to speak up against crimes perpetrated on them to ensuring the conviction of perpetrators, we have to have strong deterrents. We have a plethora of laws but are they strong enough to deter those with a criminal mindset?” questions Warjri and added that it requires a lot of hard work in terms of sensitising communities, educational institutions, policy influencers, religious leaders to ensure that the subject of abuse is spoken openly and that redressal measures are available.
Social worker, Gina Phanbuh averred that cases like these are very challenging, especially in the rural areas where not just the victim’s family but members of the Dorbar Shnong and the accused are related. “It becomes tough because it is personal. Acknowledging the challenges before us, it becomes all the more important for our women to be more aware and informed about the laws and policies put in place to protect them,” she onserved.
Phanbuh felt that stringent punishment must be awarded to anyone involved in such crimes — not just the perpetrator but anyone found protecting or hiding such incidents. She said police must also be allowed to perform their duties without external interference and for such cases, victims expect quick and speedy delivery of justice. “We do need more awareness programmes at every level by engaging community leaders and the people at large,” Phanbuh said.