Teenager Gang-Raped, Multiple-Times Near Mumbai
Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.
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By Linus Garg
First publised on 2021-09-24 03:06:15
About the Author
Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.
View all posts by this Author
The report that a Maharashtra teenager was gang-raped multiple times by a group of more than 30 people that comprised of her friends and people she knew is disconcerting. The 15-year-old was reportedly first raped by a friend in January this year who made a video of the incident and then blackmailed her to have sex with her and others. That the offending group kept on ballooning shows that the initial offender brought others on board in a devilish manner.
Two things stand out in the whole episode. The first is the fact that although more than 30 people were there in the gang (and there might have been others who were approached but might have declined to participate), not one had pangs of conscience to report the matter to the police. The heartless crime went on uninterrupted from January till a few days ago when the girl summoned the courage to go to the authorities.
That brings us to the second thing. How could a girl living near Mumbai bear the abuse and torture by so many people she knew for so long? When more and more people started abusing her, did it not come to her mind that the nightmare will not end until she reported the matter to her family or the police? Of course her silence was due to the video but repeated abuse by new persons should have led her to acknowledge that she was trapped and she should have taken steps to get out of it. Perhaps age was also a factor as she could not overcome her fears of social shame following the exposure.
Despite increased awareness about rape and more cases being reported, when cases like the above where the crime is not reported for months come to light, one feels that there is an urgent need to create better awareness among children in the 12 to 18 years age group. They should be counseled about the need to report the crime as and when it happens. They should be counseled to shed their fear of social shame. Society must also stop victim blaming and do all things necessary to lessen the trauma of rape victims by not shaming them.
The Maharashtra police have already arrested 24 persons, some of them juvenile. There must be a thorough probe in the matter to ascertain how the initial offender built up such a big gang that abused the girl for so long. The case must be fast-tracked and the guilty must be punished.
