Behind rape of minor Dalit girl by 14 men for 2 years, failure of systems meant to protect someone like her
At a hospital in an Andhra Pradesh district, a 15-year-old girl, almost eight months pregnant, spends her days in a 150-bed ward, surrounded by expectant mothers and wailing infants. Authorities have deemed it dangerous to terminate her pregnancy at this stage, and say sending her home is not an option either – the teenager is the victim of sexual abuse over two years by 14 men, who are from an influential community in the village where the crimes took place.
According to officials, the investigation, which began in the first week of June after the 15-year-old's mother approached the police, has revealed the failure of systems that were designed to protect someone like her: The daughter of a single mother, struck by poverty, and belonging to SC (Madiga) community in a village dominated by forward castes.
'It was her young age, vulnerability and caste because of which the men could prey on and exploit her for two years, leaving her pregnant at 15. The systems that are in place to check on her welfare failed. Her class teacher did not even report that she had dropped out of school,'' Superintendent of Police V Ratna told The Indian Express.
'It has been decided to keep the girl in the hospital until delivery. If she is released from the hospital and sent back to her village, nobody knows what will happen. She is being provided counselling and other care. After delivery, the mother and child will be moved to a government home for women,' the SP, who is leading the investigation, said.
The girl's ordeal began when she was 13 and in the 8th grade. As per the police report, after the girl's father died about three years ago, her mother moved to a nearby village close to the Karnataka border.
According to the police, one of the accused found the girl and her classmate, also from the SC community, sitting alone after school and snapped photos on his mobile phone. 'Using violence, intimidation and threats of leaking the photos on social media, two accused first forced the girl to submit to their demands and raped her. They also filmed the act. These videos and photos were used to exploit the girl by the friends and acquaintances of the primary accused,' the SP said.
After finding out that the girl was pregnant, her mother approached the police in the first week of June. On June 9, the police arrested six persons, and subsequently 11 more.
The police remand report names 17 accused – 14 who allegedly raped her for nearly two years, and three persons, including the minor classmate, for not informing authorities. All have been arrested.
The arrested accused include three minors and 14 men aged between 18 and 51. They have been charged under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, and the Information Technology Act.
Police are also looking at the failure of the girl's class 10 teachers to report her absence or inquire why she had stopped attending school. 'It is SSC, the most important class. If a student is not seen in class for several days, any teacher would notice and conduct a check. Her teachers failed to do so,' SP Ratna said.
The Grama Mahila Samrakshana Karyadarsi – volunteers integrated into the system as 'Mahila Police' – also failed to conduct welfare checks on the single mother and her child. 'This, despite it being known that the mother was depressed after her husband passed away and was finding it hard to work and take care of herself and her daughter,' an official said. Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers, who are supposed to visit the family often, also failed to take note.
'There is a very small population of SCs in the village. Of the 17 accused, 14 are from the Boya community, while the three who kept quiet are from the SC community. When the case came to light, the Boya community leaders allegedly tried to get the girl married to her SC classmate and hush up the matter,' an official said.
Although her delivery date has been set by doctors after July 21, police have decided to keep her in the hospital as they deem it 'risky' to send her back home. 'The accused, though they are in jail, can use any means necessary to coerce the survivor to withdraw the case. As Dalits, she and her mother are vulnerable and may be forced to relent,' an official said.
Blood tests have also revealed the survivor is anaemic, and hospital sources said she is battling depression. Officials said doctors are working to provide her with the requisite care.
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