Editor,
With the ongoing crimes against children in Shillong, it is deeply disheartening to witness how our children are forced to face such atrocities. Their innocence and childhood have been robbed by a few who believe they can exploit them without consequence. A growing sense of fear has taken root in the minds of parents, making it difficult to trust anyone, while children themselves live with heightened anxiety and insecurity. Is this the kind of environment we wish to create for our children? How can they learn the art of trust when they are constantly taught to distrust others? Are we raising a generation in which trust will become a rarity? Surely, no child deserves to be raised in a world so deeply afflicted by such circumstances.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data of 2023, the number of crimes against children in Meghalaya has been steadily increasing. In 2021, the state recorded 481 cases of crimes against children, which rose to 512 in 2023 (NCRB, 2023). The COVID-19 pandemic may have contributed to this rise, as children became more vulnerable amidst social and economic challenges during the health crisis. Although there was a brief decline in 2022, with 416 cases reported (Meghalaya Police, 2022), the number again increased to 512 in 2023 (Meghalaya Police, 2023). These figures are alarming and call for urgent, sustained, and collective action to address this critical issue.
The chart above illustrates the case disposal of crimes against children in Meghalaya for the year 2022 (Meghalaya Police Website). The statistics highlight an urgent need for a comprehensive and coordinated response to safeguard children’s rights and well-being.
As the saying goes, “Put out the fire before it burns.” To effectively address the multifaceted challenges faced by children in Meghalaya, a multi-pronged strategy is essential:
1. Community Empowerment: The Dorbar Shnong and its affiliated organizations must be empowered to play a proactive role in creating awareness among parents, women, and children about the tactics used by traffickers and offenders. Awareness campaigns can help communities recognize and prevent potential dangers.
2. Enhanced Surveillance: Installing CCTV cameras in key locations — including near schools, colleges, and within localities — can serve as a deterrent to potential offenders and assist in quick response and investigation.
3. Capacity Building in Schools: Schools should organize regular sessions conducted by trained professionals to educate children about personal safety, consent, and protection. The aim should be to empower, not instill fear.
4. Strengthening Crèche Facilities: Parents, especially working parents, need to be made aware of the importance of crèches as safe spaces for children. Existing facilities should be upgraded to ensure safety, supervision, and accessibility for all families.
While these are only a few suggestions, tackling crimes against children requires collaborative efforts among the government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community-based groups, and local institutions. Together, they can play a pivotal role in realizing the vision of a safer, equitable, and brighter future for the children of our state.
Yours etc.,
Natasha Dkhar,
Via email
Time to wake up and do our bit for the environment
Editor,
I read with deep appreciation the editorial, “The Environment at Stake,” published in The Shillong Times on October 9, 2025. It is both timely and thought-provoking — a much-needed reminder that the world around us is under growing pressure and deserves our care and attention. The tone of the piece truly captures the seriousness of what we are facing and invites every reader to stop and think about the direction we are heading towards.
The concerns raised about rapid development, road expansion, and increasing quarrying are very real. These may look like signs of progress, but they also disturb the fragile balance of nature. We see it around us — hillsides giving way, forests are thinning out, and streams running muddy where they once ran clear. The recent figures showing the loss of forest cover between 2021 and 2023 are especially worrying. They remind us that even small human actions, repeated over time, can change the future of our hills and rivers.
As the old saying goes, “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” That truth carries deep meaning today.
Instead of pointing fingers or assigning blame, I feel this is a time to come together. Every section of society — local communities, traditional bodies, institutions, and citizens — can play a role. Even simple acts like community-based monitoring, tree planting, and introducing nature clubs in schools can make a big difference over time.
Your editorial has done exactly what a good one should — it has stirred reflection. I sincerely hope that the conversation it has started will continue, and that all of us — policymakers, community leaders, and ordinary citizens — will take it as a shared call to protect what we have inherited, so that our children too can grow up surrounded by the same beauty and abundance we once knew.
Yours etc.,
Jairaj,
Tura
Our mother tongue, a precious legacy
Editor,
It always irks me when somebody says that he/she can no longer speak their mother tongue. I have come across such people right from the time when I was in college. As a young adult I was amused. How can somebody not know to speak in the language they are born into? As I grew into an adult, the numbers have just increased. By then I was disgusted. Sadly some of those who can no longer or perhaps who choose not to speak in their mother tongue are full fledged adults. This is not only embarrassing but shameful. What a pity! While some say they cannot speak the mother tongue because they have stayed away from home from a very young age and had nobody to communicate with, there are others who simply shrug and do not seem to have any qualms about their inability to speak their mother tongue. This nonchalant attitude is despairingly sad.
Today as a mother, I fear that if we don’t do anything concrete about this we are surely contributing towards the extinction of our mother tongue. Do we want that? I for one do not at any cost. Therefore, it is our duty and responsibility as adults to see to it that alongside educating our children in the English language, it is equally important that we speak to our children in our mother tongue so that they carry on the legacy and our language does not die out. All that is required is for us to make an effort. It is no struggle to speak in one’s mother tongue nor is it an embarrassment to communicate in it. English is a language that connects us across region, race, community and nations but should we be giving it so great an honour that we feel embarrassed if we cannot speak the Queen’s language? Certainly not.
Step into our neighbouring state of Assam and there people will respond to us in Assamese. It may be a communication barrier but certainly one that showcases the fact that they take pride in their own language. Just as it seems easy for us to simply and conveniently let go of our own language, it is equally easy to allow our mother tongue to slip off our hands and be buried into the depths of oblivion. Do we really want that? I am certain we do not. Can we then start all over again and speak our mother tongue with pride? Yes we must and we sure can!
Yours etc.,
Jenniefer Dkhar,
Via email
