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Indian teenager accuses 60 people sexual abuse over 5 years
An 18-year-old Indian reports over five years of sexual abuse by almost 60 men. The case raises questions about social inequality and victim protection.
Indian teenager accuses 60 people sexual abuse over 5 years
five years earlier, a 13-year-old girl, the daughter of poor wage worker from one of the most marginalized communities in India, was supposedly sexually abused by one of her neighbors in the village in which she lived. Her alleged abuse filmed the deeds and the police examined whether he used the recordings to blackmail and manipulate the girl so that she was raped and sexually abused by dozens of other men and boys in the following five years.
detection of abuse
The allegations only came to light after the now 18-year-old girl spoke to a consultant at her college in the state of Kerala and described the years of terrible abuse in detail. A total of 58 men and boys were arrested and accused of sexually attacking the girl, raping and wirely raped. Two other men who were sought in connection with the case have fled abroad, reported the deputy police director of Kerala, Ajeetha Begum, compared to Cnn.
The allegations in detail
The accused include their classmates, relatives and neighbors - men from all areas of life, from minors to men in the middle 40s, as can be seen from the case documents and interviews with the local police viewed by CNN. No charges have yet been raised and the 58 men are in custody. None of the accused publicly commented on the allegations. According to Indian rape laws, the girl's identity was not revealed.domestic violence and social inequality
Violence against women is widespread in India, due to deep rooted Sexism and patriarch Laws have been amended to make tarter Straben for perpetrators. In August the City of Kolkata a nationwide doctor strike, in which thousands took to the streets to demand changes. In contrast, the case in Kerala did not cause similar outrage.
box system and discrimination
experts and activists attribute this to the fact that the victim comes from the Dalit community, which is at the lower end of the Hindu box system. This social and religious hierarchy over 3,000 years old already organizes people at birth and defines their place in society. Dalits traditionally carry out professions that are seen as ritual "impure" by Hindu script. Many are excluded from visiting temples and forced to live far from higher-cating communities, often under miserable conditions and with limited access to services.
make the hidden visible
Despite the laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of the caste, activists say that the stigma makes over 260 million dalite people in India to be vulnerable to abuse and that they are less able to take legal steps against crimes. Cynthia Stephen, an activist for Dalit rights, expressed: "If it is Dalit women, the outcry across the country is generally less pronounced."
manipulation and abuse
The alleged abuse began when the young man from the village bothered the girl and took sexually explicit videos and photos. At least three of her perpetrators assured her to marry her while another threatened to kill her if she reports the abuse. Some men act alone, others are accused of shared rape.
the reality in Dalit communities
More than half of the dalits in Kerala lives in so -called “colonies”, which are known for cramped and hard living conditions after they have been refused to land for decades. Many women and girls in these colonies have little resources and privacy, which makes them more susceptible to abuse. Official statistics show that the alleged perpetrator is known to the victim in over 98 % of the rape cases in Kerala. In 2022 there were 4,241 reports of rapes against women from oppressed boxes in India, which corresponds to more than 10 rapes per day.
steps in the right direction
The Dalit girl now lives in a shelter where she receives support and advice. Your mother also receives advice and has the opportunity to stay in a women's shelter if she feels uncertain in the neighborhood. The police provided "maximum manpower" in the case, emphasized Begum. It is likely that the process will take years.
In India, rape has one of the lowest convict rates among the main types of criminals; In 2022 the convictions were only 27 %. Stephen concluded that the fact that the Dalit girl was able to report the case was a step in the right direction: "Otherwise it would simply have been unused for years, and she would have had no one who would have helped her."