Society neglects rape survivors, and those who have been to prison and juvenile homes. It’s this exclusion that makes these victims and survivors indulge in criminal and unlawful activities.
Suwathy V, TwoCircles.net
Tamil Nadu: A young girl Nalini (name changed) used to work at a tea shop in Coimbatore in south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Too young to be working, her expressions betray a sense of loss. Behind her plight is a story.
Naresh, one of the founders of Seedreaps, an educational and charitable trust based in Coimbatore, told TwoCircles.net that Nalini has faced a lot of hardship at her young age.
“Her dad and stepmother treated her very badly and compelled her to marry an aged-divorcee for the money he offered. But the girl badly wants to go to college,” Naresh told me.
The girl did not want to come across as weak or being a minority figure in society’s consciousness. “That’s why she wants to go to college,” he said.
Naresh had friends in the government and he tried to seek help for the girl. Helping the girl ignited a spark in him to help others.
“This made me understand the needs of others and the need to help them. I found many charitable trusts who help the poor but I wanted to do something different. It’s then when I thought of focusing on people who are neglected by the larger society,” says Naresh.
In our part of the world, parent’s usually don’t allow their children to play in the house where there is a rape victim or anyone that has been to prison or a juvenile home. “The parents warn the children not to go nearby them. Society has the habit of presuming that the survivors of sexual assault are forever victims and blames them for the violence inflicted on them. The possibility of these survivors wanting to lead a normal life is completely overlooked by society,” says Naresh.
Society neglects rape survivors, and those who have been to prison and juvenile homes. It’s this exclusion that makes these victims and survivors indulge in criminal and unlawful activities. It’s a proven fact that many who belong to the above mentioned-category end up doing crime.
Minorities in India are not just limited to caste and religion, class, or gender. “Whoever is neglected by society should be considered a minority,” Naresh comments.
“I found out that society neglects the family if the one among them is an accused or a rape victim. We neglect the person who comes out of juvenile homes. This kind of attitude has made the victims tread the path of crime and they end up becoming criminals. I wanted to make sure that these people are also treated equally and are as secured as other normal kids,” he says.
Naresh and his group recently rescued a young girl with the help of officials. “She was raped for months by her father and his friends. She was not given food and was too weak to survive,” he said.
Naresh told TwoCircles.net that cases like this are frequent in the state. “Most of the victims are women,” he said.
Talking about the case, he said the girl belonged to a well-off family. “She was born in an educated family where her mother wasn’t always around her as she was a working lady. Her father used it to molest her,” he said, adding, “This is one issue and there are many like this where violence like this occurs even in apparently rich and educated households.”
Naresh believes that society should not limit its scope in defining a minority, especially keeping ‘economic background’ as a marker. “I will say the issues of the poor come out frequently but there are other minorities as well,” he said.
Talking about children, Naresh says that, “Children believe what parents teach them. Many even believe that’s how father-daughter relationships should be like.”
Naresh says that there is another woman who works at a textile store and who has faced similar violence and “we are trying to rescue her from the clutches of the past.”
“In her case, her father used to buy many things like costly phones and other things for her to not say anything to her mother. He has been arrested now, but her childhood scars are still prevalent,” he said.
Naresh says that not all victims think positively and would be able to move on with their lives. “It’s very rare that if someone wants to achieve something big,” says Naresh.
Naresh has worked on many cases where the violation is taking place against the daughter by her father. “Many of these cases remain unreported. We at Seedreaps have tried our best to understand their situation. For studies, we take them to a different city where nobody knows them or their story,” he said.
As per Naresh, Seedreaps tracks violence against minorities and offers them counselling. “We offer them education. We try our level best to teach them what education is or try to arrange a source of income for them,” he said.
Giving an example of a positive story of a girl, Naresh says that one girl, who had faced similar issues, used the Seedreaps platform to pursue an MBBS degree and wants to become a gynecologist.”
Naresh says that they have many former government officials working with them. “This helps us to move forward,”
“This is not just my work, but a lot of people are behind this,” he added.