There are certain people in society we turn to as protectors and guardians, like policemen, nurses and teachers. But what happens when such people betray our trust, more so when it involves an innocent and helpless child? In a shocking case, a four-year-old girl was allegedly raped in hospital by a male attendant, and others.
Allegedly Raped in Hospital By Hospital Attendant
Investigations were launched into a shocking case of a little girl being gang raped in hospital in north India.
The girl reportedly was in hospital for treatment for a snake bite when the assault took place. She told her grandmother about the attack, say reports.
According to news sources, the child, who was on a ventilator at the time of the alleged attack, had been in hospital for four days receiving treatment.
Police have already arrested one man, while they are reviewing CCTV footage to find out who else might have been involved in the crime. Officials are also trying to understand why the little one had been left alone in the ward in the first place.
While the incident happened in April this year, there are no subsequent reports updating the situation. However, we hope that due justice is served on those carried out the alleged rape, and the little girl who was raped in hospital gets the support she needs to heal.
Little girl raped in hospital, just one of many rape cases in India
Earlier this year, a Thomson Reuters Foundation survey deemed India to be the most dangerous country in the world for women.
According to Newsweek, the country fared the worst in three sections: the risk of sexual violence and harassment, the danger of traditional cultural practices and the threat of becoming a victim of human trafficking, sexual slavery and domestic servitude.
Indeed, we have heard of numerous reports of rape and violence against women emerging from the country, with little discrimination made over the age of the victim/s by the perpetrators.
However, women's rights and other activists are pushing hard for the law to change, and for harsher punishments to be given to rapists and abusers. This was especially after the horrific 2012 gang-rape and murder of a student -- Jyoti Singh -- in a moving New Delhi bus.
On a positive note, the Indian government has approved tougher laws and stricter punishments for rapists and abusers. However, in court, such cases can drag on for even years.
What can we as parents do to stop rape culture?
We can teach our boys the following lessons:
1. Consent
At a young age, children should be taught about consent. They need to learn that any form of affection isn't mandatory, and that it requires consent. This means that if they're not comfortable with kissing or hugging someone, even if it's a close relative, then they shouldn't be forced to do so.
It's their body, and it's their choice whether or not they want to show affection towards someone. Letting your son know about consent early on can really help guide them down the path of respectable and accepted behavior.
2. No woman 'deserves it,' and the term "boys will be boys" is a myth
This behaviour is a manifestation of the culture of victim-blaming that's still prevalent in modern society. Women, regardless of how they act or what they wear, don't 'deserve it.'
Boys should be taught to never blame the victim for causing harm to themselves since it simply dismisses the perpetrator of the crime as someone who was 'tempted' or 'invited' into committing the crime.
"Boys should be boys" isn't acceptable behavior, and parents need to stop using it to excuse their child's bad behavior.
3. Girls don't dress for boys
At a young age, girls are taught to dress modestly since "boys might have naughty thoughts" about them. This isn't acceptable behavior because in the first place, boys shouldn't think of girls as simply objects of desire.
Young boys should be taught to respect all women, regardless of what they're wearing. Just because a woman is wearing skimpy clothes doesn't mean it's an invitation for men to abuse her.
4. Picking on someone does NOT mean you like them
This behaviour is commonly seen in movies and TV shows wherein boys show affection for the girls that they like by making fun of them or picking on them.
This leads to cases wherein young girls feel victimized or bullied by a boy classmate, but her feelings are simply dismissed because the boy's excuse is that "he likes her."
Bullying, teasing, or making fun of someone isn't romantic at all; it's a form of violence.
5. No means NO
Have you ever watched those movies wherein the lead actor eventually "gets the girl" after being persistent, even if the girl initially told him no? It might seem romantic at first glance, since the the guy finally got to be with the girl that he wanted after being so persistent.
These depictions of romance, especially in media, is problematic since it teaches young boys that no doesn't always mean no. This means that when someone turns them down, they will do everything that they can in order for the other person to reciprocate their affection, even if it means drastic measures.
Mums and dads, let your young boys know that no really means no, and that if someone turns down their affection, they should just learn to let it go.
Also read: Stop Staying "Boys Will Be Boys"
Sources: Newsweek, Associated Press