<p>The recent murder of a boy in a prominent international school has once again reignited focus on the issue of the safety of our children. Good spirited citizens and stalwarts of the child rights movement in India have declared war against the rape of children. This will hopefully raise much-needed awareness and make our population conscious of their role in ensuring our children&rsquo;s safety. However, call me a sceptic, but somehow the efficacy of these campaigns remain debatable (notwithstanding the good intentions behind them) considering how infrequent they are and how little effort is being made to tackle the grassroots&nbsp;problems around child sexual abuse. &nbsp;</p>

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<h5>A more recent study by World Vision revealed that 1 in 2 children are sexually abused.</h5>
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<p>A 2007 Government of India study on the magnitude of child abuse in India revealed that 53 per cent of boys and 47 per cent of girls who were part of the study revealed one or the other form of child sexual abuse. A more recent study by World Vision revealed that 1 in 2 children are sexually abused. In other words, from 2007 to 2017, we haven&rsquo;t had much luck in reducing the number of children who are sexually victimised.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Law enforcement statistics don&rsquo;t inspire much confidence either. A study by the Centre for Child and Law, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru on the functioning of special courts across the country revealed poor conviction rates and poorer compliance with the beneficial procedures for trial under the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences Act, 2012. Poor quality investigations and prosecutions, lack of means to achieve expeditious administration of justice and, therefore, excellent acquittal rates, were as many problems a decade back as they are now. What has changed after years of campaigns and protests? The law? Yes. But are our children any less victimised? No. Where are we going wrong then?</p>

<p>On the prevention front, most states are yet to formulate child protection policies for children at school. Schools in Bangalore that saw incidents of child sexual abuse on campus early on, following the enactment of the POCSO Act, continue to function without much consequences. University and school campuses in the United States of America have suffered prohibitive orders for payment of damages that just makes it too expensive for them to not take the safety of students on campus seriously. When will we see such accountability in India?&nbsp;</p>

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<h5>Our discomfort around the subject of sexuality and corresponding safety translates to ignorance for our children.</h5>
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<p>Secondly, parents continue to transfer the onus of safety and sexuality education to educational institutions without making that a conversation at home. Our discomfort around the subject of sexuality and corresponding safety translates to ignorance for our children. Couple that with a culture of body shaming and pressure to achieve and our kids are not only ignorant but lack self-esteem. The result is vulnerability to abuse: emotional, physical and sexual. Plus, we also have a recurring and more widespread problem of incestuous child sexual abuse at home. Still, we continue to teach our children to obey elders without question. So this begs the question, are we holding ourselves accountable for failing in our duty to educate and empower our kids?</p>

<p>While the crime prevention dynamic is pathetic, crime investigations and prosecution fare no better. Our law enforcement agencies lack specialisation and a culture of research which is necessary to ensure effective institutions. Yet no campaign so far has demanded that the Government of India institute a program on the lines of the Behavioral Sciences Unit of the FBI in the USA. We still don&rsquo;t understand the child sex offender, because thus far, law enforcement has made no effort to study them to understand the patterns and motives governing these crimes.</p>

<p>Only one researcher in Criminology tried to study convicted rapists in India and our law enforcement must ask themselves why it was a good spirited citizen and not them that made this first effort. On an average, a DNA test report takes 18 months because we don&rsquo;t have enough forensic science laboratories. The sum total of these failures is that we don&rsquo;t have effective investigation tools and techniques to catch sex offenders quickly and effectively.&nbsp;</p>

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<h5>While we are content distributing sweets when rapists are sentenced to death and we burn police stations, we refuse to focus on what we really need to prevent, deter and punish crimes against women and children.</h5>
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<p>Yet none of our campaigns so far have demanded the reforms necessary to address the above problems. While we are content distributing sweets when rapists are sentenced to death and we burn police stations, we refuse to focus on what we really need to prevent, deter and punish crimes against women and children. So far, the movement for victim&rsquo;s rights has suffered from intellectual laziness and profound insensitivity to the real problems on the ground. The reactive approach to sex crimes has served the only purpose of venting emotion and changing laws but has failed to achieve the necessary means to enforce those laws effectively. This begs the last question, are we holding ourselves accountable for our inefficiency as citizen activists?</p>

<p>Lastly, you might ask- who am I to judge people&rsquo;s emotions on the streets? I am a nobody, I admit. In fact, I shudder to put myself in the shoes of the child or the family that has been victimised by or affected by child sexual abuse. It is a nightmare in every sense of the word. But solutions I am afraid, come from a clinical approach to crime, bereft of emotions and supported by objective research. No doubt we should be angry and no doubt that we should empathise with the child who lost his life. But that anger and that empathy will go to a waste if we can&rsquo;t make our country safer for the other children out there. Can we, therefore, take a breather, sit on the drawing table and start planning and then act? For I feel that the war on rape can be won with strategy and not by a spontaneous call for action.</p>


What has changed after years of campaigns and protests? The law. But are our children any less victimised? No.

The recent murder of a boy in a prominent international school has once again reignited focus on the issue of the safety of our children. Good spirited citizens and stalwarts of the child rights movement in India have declared war against the rape of children. This will hopefully raise much-needed awareness and make our population conscious of their role in ensuring our children’s safety. However, call me a sceptic, but somehow the efficacy of these campaigns remain debatable (notwithstanding the good intentions behind them) considering how infrequent they are and how little effort is being made to tackle the grassroots problems around child sexual abuse. A more recent study by World Vision revealed that 1 in 2 children are sexually abused. × A 2007 Government of India study on the magnitude of child abuse in India revealed that 53 per cent of boys and 47 per cent of girls who were part of the study revealed one or the other form of child sexual abuse. A more recent study by World Vision revealed that 1 in 2 children are sexually abused. In other words, from 2007 to 2017, we haven’t had much luck in reducing the number of children who are sexually victimised. Law enforcement statistics don’t inspire much confidence either. A study by the Centre for Child and Law, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru on the functioning of special courts across the country revealed poor conviction rates and poorer compliance with the beneficial procedures for trial under the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences Act, 2012. Poor quality investigations and prosecutions, lack of means to achieve expeditious administration of justice and, therefore, excellent acquittal rates, were as many problems a decade back as they are now. What has changed after years of campaigns and protests? The law? Yes. But are our children any less victimised? No. Where are we going wrong then? On the prevention front, most states are yet to formulate child protection policies for children at school. Schools in Bangalore that saw incidents of child sexual abuse on campus early on, following the enactment of the POCSO Act, continue to function without much consequences. University and school campuses in the United States of America have suffered prohibitive orders for payment of damages that just makes it too expensive for them to not take the safety of students on campus seriously. When will we see such accountability in India? Our discomfort around the subject of sexuality and corresponding safety translates to ignorance for our children. × Secondly, parents continue to transfer the onus of safety and sexuality education to educational institutions without making that a conversation at home. Our discomfort around the subject of sexuality and corresponding safety translates to ignorance for our children. Couple that with a culture of body shaming and pressure to achieve and our kids are not only ignorant but lack self-esteem. The result is vulnerability to abuse: emotional, physical and sexual. Plus, we also have a recurring and more widespread problem of incestuous child sexual abuse at home. Still, we continue to teach our children to obey elders without question. So this begs the question, are we holding ourselves accountable for failing in our duty to educate and empower our kids? While the crime prevention dynamic is pathetic, crime investigations and prosecution fare no better. Our law enforcement agencies lack specialisation and a culture of research which is necessary to ensure effective institutions. Yet no campaign so far has demanded that the Government of India institute a program on the lines of the Behavioral Sciences Unit of the FBI in the USA. We still don’t understand the child sex offender, because thus far, law enforcement has made no effort to study them to understand the patterns and motives governing these crimes. Only one researcher in Criminology tried to study convicted rapists in India and our law enforcement must ask themselves why it was a good spirited citizen and not them that made this first effort. On an average, a DNA test report takes 18 months because we don’t have enough forensic science laboratories. The sum total of these failures is that we don’t have effective investigation tools and techniques to catch sex offenders quickly and effectively. While we are content distributing sweets when rapists are sentenced to death and we burn police stations, we refuse to focus on what we really need to prevent, deter and punish crimes against women and children. × Yet none of our campaigns so far have demanded the reforms necessary to address the above problems. While we are content distributing sweets when rapists are sentenced to death and we burn police stations, we refuse to focus on what we really need to prevent, deter and punish crimes against women and children. So far, the movement for victim’s rights has suffered from intellectual laziness and profound insensitivity to the real problems on the ground. The reactive approach to sex crimes has served the only purpose of venting emotion and changing laws but has failed to achieve the necessary means to enforce those laws effectively. This begs the last question, are we holding ourselves accountable for our inefficiency as citizen activists? Lastly, you might ask- who am I to judge people’s emotions on the streets? I am a nobody, I admit. In fact, I shudder to put myself in the shoes of the child or the family that has been victimised by or affected by child sexual abuse. It is a nightmare in every sense of the word. But solutions I am afraid, come from a clinical approach to crime, bereft of emotions and supported by objective research. No doubt we should be angry and no doubt that we should empathise with the child who lost his life. But that anger and that empathy will go to a waste if we can’t make our country safer for the other children out there. Can we, therefore, take a breather, sit on the drawing table and start planning and then act? For I feel that the war on rape can be won with strategy and not by a spontaneous call for action.

Why Child Rights campaigns in India have failed to stop incidents like Ryan school murder

<p>Harmful customary practices, deeply rooted in societal attitudes, regard women as inferior to men. These practices are often used to justify gender-based violence as a form of &quot;protection&quot;&nbsp;or control of women. One such custom is the cutting of genitals of a seven-year-old, practiced by the Bohra community in India.&nbsp;The chopping of the girl&#39;s clitoris is called Khatna by the Bohras. The world calls it Female Genital Mutilation--a term that describes the practice quite literally. Within the community residing in India, 80-90 per cent girls are cut in total secrecy.</p>

<p>&quot;Globally, the practice is traditionally considered necessary in order to raise a girl with characteristics of a &lsquo;proper&rsquo; wife, given that female genital mutilation is believed to preserve virginity or to restrain sexual desire,&rdquo; says&nbsp;Veronica&nbsp;Birga, Chief of Women&#39;s Human Rights and Gender Section at&nbsp;the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.</p>

<p>The practice is banned in United States, Canada, 24 African countries and the United Kingdom, to name a few. Even though India abides by international conventions that condemn the practice and has laws for child abuse and sexual assault, there is no distinct law for female genital mutilation.</p>

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<h5>Even though India abides by international conventions that condemn the practice and has laws for child abuse and sexual assault, there is no distinct law for female genital mutilation.</h5>
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<p><strong>More on FGM:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/cutting-their-genitals-more-than-500000-women-in-india-are-at-risk-of-undergoing-female-genital-mutilation-16768?v=zn%20Read%20more%20at%20Aryamantavya:%20More%20than%20500,000%20girls%20in%20India%20at%20risk%20of%20female%20genital%20mutilation%20http://wp.me/p6VtLM-4Mp">More than 500,000 girls in India at risk of female genital mutilation</a></strong></p>

<p>According to media reports, Maneka Gandhi, the Union Women and Child Development minister, called the custom of a criminal offense and said that if the community does not stop it voluntarily, the government will bring in a law to ban the practice. It is only recently that women from the community have started speaking up against the practice. In 2015, an online petition on the website Change.org &quot;Speak out on FGM&quot;&nbsp;was started by women from Bohra community. Later on, non-Bohras also joined the campaign. On May 8, the Supreme Court sought a response from the Centre and four states on a PIL seeking a ban on female genital cutting. But, except for the National Commission for Women that has backed the campaign; the government has mostly remained silent.</p>

<p>The NGO also published a report, &quot;<em>A Guide to Eliminating FGM in India&quot;&nbsp;</em>and&nbsp;evolved a blueprint of how the law in India should look like.&nbsp;</p>

<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width: 1000px;">
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			<td>
			<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>PROPOSED LAWS AND SUGGESTIONS</strong></p>

			<ul>
				<li>Amendments and definition of FGM</li>
				<li>Relief, rehabilitation, and protection for the victim</li>
				<li>Penalisation of the parent, who is performing the act, the cutters and propagators (<em>Amils</em>)</li>
				<li>Compensation for victims</li>
				<li>FGM to not be justified as a &lsquo;religious practice&rsquo;</li>
				<li>Restraining order in case of proposed FGM</li>
				<li>Sanction of Jamaat resolutions decrying the practice by Syedna (religious head of Bohras)</li>
				<li>Awareness drives by Syedna and <em>Amils</em></li>
				<li>Categorisation of FGM as a form of professional misconduct by Indian Medical Council</li>
			</ul>
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</table>

<p><br />
<strong>&#39;It is a matter of our right to customary practice&#39;</strong></p>

<p>This was the very first argument brought up by a supporter of FGM. Communities always see&nbsp;any change as a threat, without realising that not only are the justifications for FGM baseless and disproven by science, but also the practice is a form of child abuse and torture. &ldquo;Patriarchial practices against women cannot be justified by some archaic cruel custom,&rdquo; says Hilary Burrage, activist and author of two award-winning novels on FGM.</p>

<p>The prevailing belief&nbsp;in the community is that Khatna should not be classified as Type 1 FGM and that it is a matter of customary freedom. &quot;There is also a misguided comparison being made, by Khatna-supporters, that female circumcision on seven-year-old girls is the same thing as clitoral unhooding, also called hood reduction, which is chosen voluntarily by an adult, sexually active women,&quot;&nbsp;says&nbsp;Aarefa Johari, co-founder of Sahiyo, a non-profit dedicated to ending the FGM in India.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Many also insist that female Khatna is equivalent to male circumcision. If boys can be cut, why not girls? &quot;This argument is only partially&nbsp;valid. Yes, infant boys are cut without their consent too--so one can compare them on the grounds of consent. But that should not be a reason to defend both practices - instead, it should encourage us to re-examine both male and female circumcision of minors. However, female Khatna is not done for the same reasons as male Khatna. Boys are not cut to control or curb their sexual desire, neither are they cut to enhance their sexual pleasure. But these reasons are often associated with female Khatna,&quot; Johari adds.</p>

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<h5>Yes, infant boys are cut without their consent too--so one can compare them on the grounds of consent. But that should not be a reason to defend both practices - instead, it should encourage us to re-examine both male and female circumcision of minors.</h5>
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<p><strong>A Customary practice or human rights violation?&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>In the legal argument to abolish FGM, the defendants would use &quot;Right to customary practice&quot;&nbsp;to protect the practice. During the fight in the United States, the same was used as a tool of defense. &ldquo;We know that the same will be used against us in India,&rdquo; says Masooma Ranalvi, founder of SpeakOut, who is herself a survivor.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
A practice can be both a &quot;custom&quot;&nbsp;and a violation of human rights. &quot;Religions are filled with practices and rituals that violate human rights and dignity, particularly for women - look at menstrual taboos, one-sided polygamy, iddat (the period where a&nbsp;Bohra woman must observe after the death of her spouse or after a divorce, during which she may not marry another man), Sati, the caste system--it is an endless list. When we are schooled to think of something as a sacred religious practice, something to be followed unquestioningly, and we tend to lose the perspective that these practices are violative,&rdquo; adds Johari.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p><b>&#39;There can be no surveillance -- we have the right to privacy&#39;</b></p>

<p>The proposed law also suggests that vigilant surveillance on cutters is necessary to bring an end to the practice. Although defendants of FGM believe that this will violate their right to privacy, the view of activists, however, differ. &quot;We are talking about a serious form of gender-based violence, which, even if committed in the private, calls into question the due diligence obligation of the state. This requires the state to take steps implement prevention measures, to investigate and prosecute cases and ensure remedies for the victims,&quot; &nbsp;adds Birga.<br />
<br />
It is important to recognise that violent practices cannot be defended by labeling them as&nbsp;private. &quot;Only because it has been a well-protected secret for such a long time and have come to public&#39;s attention only recently, does not mean any privacy rights have been violated. Moreover, when it comes to violence against women, issues are often swept under the run as being a private issue,&rdquo; says Mariya Taher, co-founder of Sahiyo.</p>

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<h5>It is often performed on very young girls that do not have the maturity and knowledge to give genuine and informed consent to the practice</h5>
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<p><strong>&#39;What if the girl wants to get cut?&#39;</strong></p>

<p>The issue of whether individuals can consent to practices that are harmful to their health is a complex one. Many legislation prohibits practices that are detrimental to the health of individuals- even when they may consent to them, such as the one on alcohol or drug use. Practices such as Sati, even under consent were declared illegal. &quot;The case of FGM is quite straightforward. It is often performed on very young girls that do not have the maturity and knowledge to give genuine and informed consent to the practice. Also, even in the case of adult women, in assessing consent one would really have to keep in mind the high social pressure for the practice to be performed in certain communities and the concrete risks of ostracism for those.&rdquo; Birga explains.</p>

<p>But can a mere law end a thousand-year-old practice that supposedly purifies women? &quot;Consistent community engagement is perhaps the most effective way to go. We&nbsp;need a multi-pronged approach for this, including a law against the practice, medical practitioners denouncing it, calling it out as a form of human and child rights violation - but without community engagement and education, a sociocultural norm rooted so deeply in tradition cannot end,&rdquo; Johari concludes.</p>


Should female genital mutilation be allowed on grounds of customary rights or banned for violating human rights?

Harmful customary practices, deeply rooted in societal attitudes, regard women as inferior to men. These practices are often used to justify gender-based violence as a form of "protection" or control of women. One such custom is the cutting of genitals of a seven-year-old, practiced by the Bohra community in India. The chopping of the girl's clitoris is called Khatna by the Bohras. The world calls it Female Genital Mutilation--a term that describes the practice quite literally. Within the community residing in India, 80-90 per cent girls are cut in total secrecy. "Globally, the practice is traditionally considered necessary in order to raise a girl with characteristics of a ‘proper’ wife, given that female genital mutilation is believed to preserve virginity or to restrain sexual desire,” says Veronica Birga, Chief of Women's Human Rights and Gender Section at the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The practice is banned in United States, Canada, 24 African countries and the United Kingdom, to name a few. Even though India abides by international conventions that condemn the practice and has laws for child abuse and sexual assault, there is no distinct law for female genital mutilation. Even though India abides by international conventions that condemn the practice and has laws for child abuse and sexual assault, there is no distinct law for female genital mutilation. × More on FGM: More than 500,000 girls in India at risk of female genital mutilation According to media reports, Maneka Gandhi, the Union Women and Child Development minister, called the custom of a criminal offense and said that if the community does not stop it voluntarily, the government will bring in a law to ban the practice. It is only recently that women from the community have started speaking up against the practice. In 2015, an online petition on the website Change.org "Speak out on FGM" was started by women from Bohra community. Later on, non-Bohras also joined the campaign. On May 8, the Supreme Court sought a response from the Centre and four states on a PIL seeking a ban on female genital cutting. But, except for the National Commission for Women that has backed the campaign; the government has mostly remained silent. The NGO also published a report, "A Guide to Eliminating FGM in India" and evolved a blueprint of how the law in India should look like. PROPOSED LAWS AND SUGGESTIONS Amendments and definition of FGM Relief, rehabilitation, and protection for the victim Penalisation of the parent, who is performing the act, the cutters and propagators (Amils) Compensation for victims FGM to not be justified as a ‘religious practice’ Restraining order in case of proposed FGM Sanction of Jamaat resolutions decrying the practice by Syedna (religious head of Bohras) Awareness drives by Syedna and Amils Categorisation of FGM as a form of professional misconduct by Indian Medical Council 'It is a matter of our right to customary practice' This was the very first argument brought up by a supporter of FGM. Communities always see any change as a threat, without realising that not only are the justifications for FGM baseless and disproven by science, but also the practice is a form of child abuse and torture. “Patriarchial practices against women cannot be justified by some archaic cruel custom,” says Hilary Burrage, activist and author of two award-winning novels on FGM. The prevailing belief in the community is that Khatna should not be classified as Type 1 FGM and that it is a matter of customary freedom. "There is also a misguided comparison being made, by Khatna-supporters, that female circumcision on seven-year-old girls is the same thing as clitoral unhooding, also called hood reduction, which is chosen voluntarily by an adult, sexually active women," says Aarefa Johari, co-founder of Sahiyo, a non-profit dedicated to ending the FGM in India. Many also insist that female Khatna is equivalent to male circumcision. If boys can be cut, why not girls? "This argument is only partially valid. Yes, infant boys are cut without their consent too--so one can compare them on the grounds of consent. But that should not be a reason to defend both practices - instead, it should encourage us to re-examine both male and female circumcision of minors. However, female Khatna is not done for the same reasons as male Khatna. Boys are not cut to control or curb their sexual desire, neither are they cut to enhance their sexual pleasure. But these reasons are often associated with female Khatna," Johari adds. Yes, infant boys are cut without their consent too--so one can compare them on the grounds of consent. But that should not be a reason to defend both practices - instead, it should encourage us to re-examine both male and female circumcision of minors. × A Customary practice or human rights violation? In the legal argument to abolish FGM, the defendants would use "Right to customary practice" to protect the practice. During the fight in the United States, the same was used as a tool of defense. “We know that the same will be used against us in India,” says Masooma Ranalvi, founder of SpeakOut, who is herself a survivor. A practice can be both a "custom" and a violation of human rights. "Religions are filled with practices and rituals that violate human rights and dignity, particularly for women - look at menstrual taboos, one-sided polygamy, iddat (the period where a Bohra woman must observe after the death of her spouse or after a divorce, during which she may not marry another man), Sati, the caste system--it is an endless list. When we are schooled to think of something as a sacred religious practice, something to be followed unquestioningly, and we tend to lose the perspective that these practices are violative,” adds Johari. 'There can be no surveillance -- we have the right to privacy' The proposed law also suggests that vigilant surveillance on cutters is necessary to bring an end to the practice. Although defendants of FGM believe that this will violate their right to privacy, the view of activists, however, differ. "We are talking about a serious form of gender-based violence, which, even if committed in the private, calls into question the due diligence obligation of the state. This requires the state to take steps implement prevention measures, to investigate and prosecute cases and ensure remedies for the victims," adds Birga. It is important to recognise that violent practices cannot be defended by labeling them as private. "Only because it has been a well-protected secret for such a long time and have come to public's attention only recently, does not mean any privacy rights have been violated. Moreover, when it comes to violence against women, issues are often swept under the run as being a private issue,” says Mariya Taher, co-founder of Sahiyo. It is often performed on very young girls that do not have the maturity and knowledge to give genuine and informed consent to the practice × 'What if the girl wants to get cut?' The issue of whether individuals can consent to practices that are harmful to their health is a complex one. Many legislation prohibits practices that are detrimental to the health of individuals- even when they may consent to them, such as the one on alcohol or drug use. Practices such as Sati, even under consent were declared illegal. "The case of FGM is quite straightforward. It is often performed on very young girls that do not have the maturity and knowledge to give genuine and informed consent to the practice. Also, even in the case of adult women, in assessing consent one would really have to keep in mind the high social pressure for the practice to be performed in certain communities and the concrete risks of ostracism for those.” Birga explains. But can a mere law end a thousand-year-old practice that supposedly purifies women? "Consistent community engagement is perhaps the most effective way to go. We need a multi-pronged approach for this, including a law against the practice, medical practitioners denouncing it, calling it out as a form of human and child rights violation - but without community engagement and education, a sociocultural norm rooted so deeply in tradition cannot end,” Johari concludes.

Raising a 'proper' wife through cutting her genitals

<p>The Bengaluru mass molestation has evoked a litany of anguished complaints against our collective existence as civilised human beings. Data crunching is being done to show, rightly, that precious little has changed despite the amended rape law or the oft-repeated promises on women&rsquo;s security. Half-a-billion citizens of this country have to try hard, on an everyday basis, to keep their bodily integrity intact.</p>

<p>But why is everybody silent about the body, the focal point of this discourse?</p>

<p>One of the challenges facing a sexual assault victim is to regain her ability to love her body as before. Almost everything around her stymies this effort. PTSD, somatic symptoms&nbsp;and depression are some of the commonly spoken about aftermaths of a sexual assault. The assaulted body not only bears the marks of the violation suffered, it also writhes in neglect and loathing. The victim fights a battle with not just the world outside but also within and the body is caught in this crossfire.</p>

<p>While studying child sexual abuse in the Jewish community, Rachel Lev, a US-based clinical psychologist, observed that insensitivity and ignorance displayed by institutions around the victim (healthcare, education, security, religion et al) severely hinder recovery and healing of the victims. Lev&rsquo;s 2003 book &lsquo;Shine the Light: Sexual Abuse and Healing in the Jewish Community&rsquo; emphasises the need for &ldquo;compassionate, informed and proactive community&rdquo; that helps in healing. An earlier research on rape victims (University of Illinois, 2001) establishes that while positive social reaction has a&nbsp;negligible impact on victim&rsquo;s recovery, negative social reactions hinder it substantially. Ironically, it is the community&rsquo;s collective failure that breeds sexual assault on an industrial scale.</p>

<p>How, then, can the victim emerge from the cesspool of shame, trauma and that unhealthy tendency of seeing the body as the cause of her woes? There are no prescribed answers or standard operating procedures. Yet, there can be some universal whistle points. To begin with, it is essential to recognise sexual assault to be what it is: a criminal act. Just like stealing, robbery, and murder. The victim needs to learn and internalise it. A sparkling SUV, straight out of the showroom, did not ASK to be stolen. It just was.</p>

<p>The body has an inbuilt self-healing mechanism. The victim needs to tap that. The ableist approach in combating violence against women, with its insistence on putting the onus of safety on the potential victim, has been rightly criticised by the gender equality activists and other stakeholders. However, a lot stands to be gained while leveraging the ability of a victim, post facto. It is also a step towards establishing a continuum of empathy. A victim, at ease with herself, is likely to extend support to those who need it. Mukhtar Mai of Pakistan, Sunitha Krishnan of Bengaluru, and Suzette Jordan of Kolkata were assaulted but not broken.</p>

<p>A victim has no agency in deciding what happens to her body. The victims of child sexual abuse do not even have the vocabulary to describe either their bodies or what is done to them. Yet, there is a shroud of shame with which the victim is expected to cover her bruised honour with. The body does not get impure or tainted by unwanted touch or penetration. Yes, it causes pain physical and mental. The ideas of impurity and honour are carefully placed constructs to silence the victims.</p>

<p>Silence suits the perpetrators and, unfortunately, even some secondary survivors. A victim&rsquo;s loved ones are the co-sufferers of an assault, yet the worst ordeal is reserved for the victim herself. Do remember the &lsquo;honourable&rsquo; killings (inclusive of abetment to suicide) of countless women by family members during the Partition because they were or could be sexually assaulted. Thus, the onus to reclaim the battered body needs to be on the victim. Negative social reactions to assault or even the body in the first place, however, disallows this process of rebuilding.</p>

<p>Learning to see the&nbsp;body as a&nbsp;whole and not disambiguated body parts, with a hierarchy of honour to define them, is the first step towards recovery. Learning to see a crime as crime is the essential second. When the individual heals, society heals. And vice versa.</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


Ideas of impurity and honour are carefully-placed constructs to silence victims of sexual attacks

The Bengaluru mass molestation has evoked a litany of anguished complaints against our collective existence as civilised human beings. Data crunching is being done to show, rightly, that precious little has changed despite the amended rape law or the oft-repeated promises on women’s security. Half-a-billion citizens of this country have to try hard, on an everyday basis, to keep their bodily integrity intact. But why is everybody silent about the body, the focal point of this discourse? One of the challenges facing a sexual assault victim is to regain her ability to love her body as before. Almost everything around her stymies this effort. PTSD, somatic symptoms and depression are some of the commonly spoken about aftermaths of a sexual assault. The assaulted body not only bears the marks of the violation suffered, it also writhes in neglect and loathing. The victim fights a battle with not just the world outside but also within and the body is caught in this crossfire. While studying child sexual abuse in the Jewish community, Rachel Lev, a US-based clinical psychologist, observed that insensitivity and ignorance displayed by institutions around the victim (healthcare, education, security, religion et al) severely hinder recovery and healing of the victims. Lev’s 2003 book ‘Shine the Light: Sexual Abuse and Healing in the Jewish Community’ emphasises the need for “compassionate, informed and proactive community” that helps in healing. An earlier research on rape victims (University of Illinois, 2001) establishes that while positive social reaction has a negligible impact on victim’s recovery, negative social reactions hinder it substantially. Ironically, it is the community’s collective failure that breeds sexual assault on an industrial scale. How, then, can the victim emerge from the cesspool of shame, trauma and that unhealthy tendency of seeing the body as the cause of her woes? There are no prescribed answers or standard operating procedures. Yet, there can be some universal whistle points. To begin with, it is essential to recognise sexual assault to be what it is: a criminal act. Just like stealing, robbery, and murder. The victim needs to learn and internalise it. A sparkling SUV, straight out of the showroom, did not ASK to be stolen. It just was. The body has an inbuilt self-healing mechanism. The victim needs to tap that. The ableist approach in combating violence against women, with its insistence on putting the onus of safety on the potential victim, has been rightly criticised by the gender equality activists and other stakeholders. However, a lot stands to be gained while leveraging the ability of a victim, post facto. It is also a step towards establishing a continuum of empathy. A victim, at ease with herself, is likely to extend support to those who need it. Mukhtar Mai of Pakistan, Sunitha Krishnan of Bengaluru, and Suzette Jordan of Kolkata were assaulted but not broken. A victim has no agency in deciding what happens to her body. The victims of child sexual abuse do not even have the vocabulary to describe either their bodies or what is done to them. Yet, there is a shroud of shame with which the victim is expected to cover her bruised honour with. The body does not get impure or tainted by unwanted touch or penetration. Yes, it causes pain physical and mental. The ideas of impurity and honour are carefully placed constructs to silence the victims. Silence suits the perpetrators and, unfortunately, even some secondary survivors. A victim’s loved ones are the co-sufferers of an assault, yet the worst ordeal is reserved for the victim herself. Do remember the ‘honourable’ killings (inclusive of abetment to suicide) of countless women by family members during the Partition because they were or could be sexually assaulted. Thus, the onus to reclaim the battered body needs to be on the victim. Negative social reactions to assault or even the body in the first place, however, disallows this process of rebuilding. Learning to see the body as a whole and not disambiguated body parts, with a hierarchy of honour to define them, is the first step towards recovery. Learning to see a crime as crime is the essential second. When the individual heals, society heals. And vice versa. (WION)

Bengaluru mass molestation: Woman's scarred psyche and society's unholy mind

<p>Former coach Barry Bennell, who is at the centre of a scandal rocking English football, was on Tuesday charged with eight counts of child abuse, prosecutors said.</p>

<p>Bennell, who has already served three jail terms for previous child sex offences, has faced a slew of new allegations by at least 20 former footballers spanning three decades beginning in the 1970s when he was working for Crewe Alexandra, Manchester City and Stoke City.</p>

<p>&quot;Following a review of the evidence, in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors, Mr Bennell, 62, has today been charged with eight offences of sexual assault against a boy under the age of 14,&quot; said a statement from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).</p>

<p>Bennell, who it was revealed on Monday had to be hospitalised when he was found unconscious in a hotel near London, will appear in court on December 14. &nbsp;</p>

<p>The latest charges stem from Cheshire Police but six other police forces are investigating accusations made against Bennell in a scandal Football Association Chairman Greg Clarke has called &quot;the greatest crisis&quot; in English football he could recall.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Former Newcastle player Derek Bell, who waived his anonymity to the Guardian, claimed he was subjected to &quot;horrendous&quot; sexual abuse at his local boys football club in the 1970s.</p>

<p>&quot;It was pure, unbelievable heartache. Thinking my mam and dad were next door and he was performing these sexual acts. He had groomed us for a couple of years and he thought it was normal,&quot; Bell said.</p>

<p>&quot;Deep down in my mind I knew it wasn&#39;t normal, but I was so scared to speak and come out and say it wasn&#39;t right.&quot;</p>

<p>Former Northern Ireland international Mark Williams spoke out, with Sky News revealing he had waived his anonymity to describe his torment.</p>

<p>&quot;My life has been affected irreversibly both personally and professionally and it has been soul-destroying to carry this burden for 30 years,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Police Scotland have also confirmed they have launched a probe following abuse allegations north of the border.</p>

<p>The FA has also launched its own internal review appointing leading lawyer Kate Gallafent, an expert in child protection, to head it up.</p>

<p>The British Government announced on Tuesday they will bring the police and the FA together for a meeting on the developing scandal.</p>

<p>Clarke took over as FA chairman in August and has already had to deal with the removal of Sam Allardyce as England coach over comments he made in a newspaper sting and the &#39;poppygate&#39; row with FIFA.</p>

<p><strong>Unacceptable</strong></p>

<p>He told Sky News it was time to finally deal with the issues after they had been ignored.</p>

<p>&quot;It&#39;s certainly the biggest (crisis) I can remember,&quot; said Clarke.</p>

<p>&quot;I think the moral consequences of failing to deal with some of these issues in the past we must get to the bottom of.&quot;</p>

<p>Clarke doesn&#39;t know if the FA at the time deliberately turned a blind eye to the goings on although a reporter who made a documentary about sex abuse in football for Channel Four in 1997 has claimed there is a FA report from 2005 detailing 250 victims and spread over a number of clubs.</p>

<p>&quot;I don&#39;t know if there was a cover-up or not, I really don&#39;t know,&quot; said Clarke.</p>

<p>&quot;I suspect like many big problems, people aren&#39;t drawn towards them. My methodology is, if there&#39;s a problem, run towards it, embrace it, fix it, disclose everything that happened.</p>

<p>&quot;I think institutionally, all organisations in the old days used to protect themselves by keeping quiet and closing ranks.</p>

<p>&quot;That&#39;s completely inappropriate and unacceptable today.&quot;</p>

<p>Clarke told the BBC the FA review would not seek to speak to alleged victims nor would he confer with his predecessors as chairman.</p>

<p>&quot;We&#39;ve agreed with the police that we won&#39;t talk to any of the victims formally, because they have to talk to them, they have to take statements and we&#39;re not allowed to interfere in that process,&quot; said Clarke.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, Chelsea announced they have retained an external law firm to carry out an investigation concerning an individual employed by the club in the 1970s, who is now dead.</p>

<p>&quot;The club has contacted the FA to ensure that all possible assistance is provided as part of their wider investigation,&quot; a Chelsea statement read.</p>

<p>&quot;This will include providing the FA with any relevant information arising out of the club&#39;s investigation.&quot;</p>

<p>(AFP)</p>


The FA chairman has called it the 'greatest crisis' in English football

Former coach Barry Bennell, who is at the centre of a scandal rocking English football, was on Tuesday charged with eight counts of child abuse, prosecutors said. Bennell, who has already served three jail terms for previous child sex offences, has faced a slew of new allegations by at least 20 former footballers spanning three decades beginning in the 1970s when he was working for Crewe Alexandra, Manchester City and Stoke City. "Following a review of the evidence, in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors, Mr Bennell, 62, has today been charged with eight offences of sexual assault against a boy under the age of 14," said a statement from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Bennell, who it was revealed on Monday had to be hospitalised when he was found unconscious in a hotel near London, will appear in court on December 14. The latest charges stem from Cheshire Police but six other police forces are investigating accusations made against Bennell in a scandal Football Association Chairman Greg Clarke has called "the greatest crisis" in English football he could recall. Former Newcastle player Derek Bell, who waived his anonymity to the Guardian, claimed he was subjected to "horrendous" sexual abuse at his local boys football club in the 1970s. "It was pure, unbelievable heartache. Thinking my mam and dad were next door and he was performing these sexual acts. He had groomed us for a couple of years and he thought it was normal," Bell said. "Deep down in my mind I knew it wasn't normal, but I was so scared to speak and come out and say it wasn't right." Former Northern Ireland international Mark Williams spoke out, with Sky News revealing he had waived his anonymity to describe his torment. "My life has been affected irreversibly both personally and professionally and it has been soul-destroying to carry this burden for 30 years," he said. Police Scotland have also confirmed they have launched a probe following abuse allegations north of the border. The FA has also launched its own internal review appointing leading lawyer Kate Gallafent, an expert in child protection, to head it up. The British Government announced on Tuesday they will bring the police and the FA together for a meeting on the developing scandal. Clarke took over as FA chairman in August and has already had to deal with the removal of Sam Allardyce as England coach over comments he made in a newspaper sting and the 'poppygate' row with FIFA. Unacceptable He told Sky News it was time to finally deal with the issues after they had been ignored. "It's certainly the biggest (crisis) I can remember," said Clarke. "I think the moral consequences of failing to deal with some of these issues in the past we must get to the bottom of." Clarke doesn't know if the FA at the time deliberately turned a blind eye to the goings on although a reporter who made a documentary about sex abuse in football for Channel Four in 1997 has claimed there is a FA report from 2005 detailing 250 victims and spread over a number of clubs. "I don't know if there was a cover-up or not, I really don't know," said Clarke. "I suspect like many big problems, people aren't drawn towards them. My methodology is, if there's a problem, run towards it, embrace it, fix it, disclose everything that happened. "I think institutionally, all organisations in the old days used to protect themselves by keeping quiet and closing ranks. "That's completely inappropriate and unacceptable today." Clarke told the BBC the FA review would not seek to speak to alleged victims nor would he confer with his predecessors as chairman. "We've agreed with the police that we won't talk to any of the victims formally, because they have to talk to them, they have to take statements and we're not allowed to interfere in that process," said Clarke. Meanwhile, Chelsea announced they have retained an external law firm to carry out an investigation concerning an individual employed by the club in the 1970s, who is now dead. "The club has contacted the FA to ensure that all possible assistance is provided as part of their wider investigation," a Chelsea statement read. "This will include providing the FA with any relevant information arising out of the club's investigation." (AFP)

Football: Ex Man City coach Bennell charged with eight counts of child abuse

School children in India, who face abuse of any nature, will soon be able to drop complaints anonymously online. India&#39;s ministry of women and child development is working on an initiative called the &#39;ebox&#39;, an online complaints box where children can register complaints anonymously.<br />
<br />
India&#39;s women and child development minister Maneka Gandhi had previously deliberated on the initiative on Twitter. Recently, she told a gathering of state officials during the review of the <em>&#39;Beti Bachao Beti Padhao&#39;</em> scheme - a campaign initiated by the government to save and educate the girl child - that the scheme is on the anvil, and that they must personally inform the principals of schools about the project.<br />
<br />
Speaking about a previous scheme where complaint boxes were put up in schools, she said the initiative did not have the desired outcome.<br />
<br />
&quot;In many cases, the child was abused by someone who was close to him or her &ndash; father, brother, neighbour, and in some cases, the same teacher who was responsible for dealing with complaints in the box,&quot; she told the officials.<br />
<br />
Brushing off concerns that the internet may not be accessible to everyone, Gandhi said that it may not be available today, but will be available soon.<br />
<br />
In a similar project initiated by the Delhi Police last year, called Nirbheek, boxes were put up in four schools in Delhi. The complaints in the boxes led to 80 first information reports (FIR), and four convictions. In one case, the accused was the child&#39;s father, in another, it was the child&#39;s mother, in another, a cousin, and in the fourth, the tenant of the child&#39;s family.<br />
<br />
The facility, an online dropbox of sorts, will have a menu to choose from and sent across to a team in the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights&nbsp;(NCPCR) via emails, said a Women and Child Development (WCD) ministry official. Once the complaints come in, the mechanism will be similar to that of Childline.<br />
<br />
&quot;Children need to be encouraged to report abuse. Most of them suffer in silence, and are ashamed to tell anyone. In many cases, the accused is either a parent or a close relative,&quot; Gandhi told dna.<br />
<br />
In a survey of 1,25,000 children in thirteen states, carried out by the WCD ministry, it was found that over 53 per cent have undergone some form of abuse, with 20 per cent reporting severe sexual abuse.<br />
<br />
Dr John Vijaysagar of the department of child and adolescent psychiatry at National Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience (NIMHANS) said that the initiative is a good one, but needs to be backed by mechanisms that have been deliberated upon.<br />
<br />
&quot;Most children who face abuse, humiliation, bullying and sex abuse are scared to speak. Many of them do not know who is a trustworthy adult to speak to, and almost all children are worried that they will be judged by peers or school authorities. So, discussions with stakeholders will lead to better mechanisms,&rdquo; said Dr Vijaysagar.<br />
<br />
(Amrita Madhukalya | DNA)

The initiative is called the 'ebox', an online complaints box where children can register complaints anonymously

School children in India, who face abuse of any nature, will soon be able to drop complaints anonymously online. India's ministry of women and child development is working on an initiative called the 'ebox', an online complaints box where children can register complaints anonymously. India's women and child development minister Maneka Gandhi had previously deliberated on the initiative on Twitter. Recently, she told a gathering of state officials during the review of the 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' scheme - a campaign initiated by the government to save and educate the girl child - that the scheme is on the anvil, and that they must personally inform the principals of schools about the project. Speaking about a previous scheme where complaint boxes were put up in schools, she said the initiative did not have the desired outcome. "In many cases, the child was abused by someone who was close to him or her – father, brother, neighbour, and in some cases, the same teacher who was responsible for dealing with complaints in the box," she told the officials. Brushing off concerns that the internet may not be accessible to everyone, Gandhi said that it may not be available today, but will be available soon. In a similar project initiated by the Delhi Police last year, called Nirbheek, boxes were put up in four schools in Delhi. The complaints in the boxes led to 80 first information reports (FIR), and four convictions. In one case, the accused was the child's father, in another, it was the child's mother, in another, a cousin, and in the fourth, the tenant of the child's family. The facility, an online dropbox of sorts, will have a menu to choose from and sent across to a team in the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) via emails, said a Women and Child Development (WCD) ministry official. Once the complaints come in, the mechanism will be similar to that of Childline. "Children need to be encouraged to report abuse. Most of them suffer in silence, and are ashamed to tell anyone. In many cases, the accused is either a parent or a close relative," Gandhi told dna. In a survey of 1,25,000 children in thirteen states, carried out by the WCD ministry, it was found that over 53 per cent have undergone some form of abuse, with 20 per cent reporting severe sexual abuse. Dr John Vijaysagar of the department of child and adolescent psychiatry at National Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience (NIMHANS) said that the initiative is a good one, but needs to be backed by mechanisms that have been deliberated upon. "Most children who face abuse, humiliation, bullying and sex abuse are scared to speak. Many of them do not know who is a trustworthy adult to speak to, and almost all children are worried that they will be judged by peers or school authorities. So, discussions with stakeholders will lead to better mechanisms,” said Dr Vijaysagar. (Amrita Madhukalya | DNA)

Indian school kids facing abuse can soon register complaints online

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