Mohammad Yaqoob Sexual Predators
A red colored multi -storey building is situated around a kilometer away from Lal Chowk at 50 Tulsi Bagh area of the city. Outside there is always hustle and bustle particularly from the young children.
A young man and a woman who are the new visitors to this place ask for an official from a person manning the gate. And once he gets nod from the officer, he lets the couple inside.
The officer carefully listens to the couple and introduces himself to the visitors.
‘I am Hakeem Javeed (coordinator), and supervises all the works, activities done here.’’ The officer runs an NGO -child line foundation India 1098 and deals in the child rights and child abuse.
On hearing the name, couple starts to narrate the story to an officer.
‘’Our daughter was living happily with us in a village. She was a studios student. But one day changed her life completely, when her aunt asked her to visit her boutique as her aunt was tailor by profession,’’ said the old woman while narrating the story.
“The aunt pushed our 14-year-old daughter into a room where a man was present already. The girl inside alone lost her consciousness… rest she didn’t tell what happened there.’’
The officer, however, came to know from the gestures what had transpired with the young girl.
The woman told the officer that after the incident her daughter lost interest in everything as she was in a deep thought of guilt and blamed herself for the act. “This incident left her both mentally as well as physically in tatters.’’
While the woman was narrating the story, the man accompanying her said that the girl lost interest in everything thereafter.
“She doesn’t like to talk with anyone, avoided eating food, stopped playing with other children, and renounced participation in social activities.
He said that initially they didn’t notice any changes but once she started vomiting; initially parents got in panic mood.
‘’When the physical changes in her body started appearing, her parents took strong note of that and visited doctor, who after investigation informed them about the pregnancy of their daughter. For us it was shock of life that our unmarried daughter was pregnant.’’
Initially they were afraid of this incident and didn’t dare to visit police station to register a case. However, they registered a complaint and the accused was arrested by the police but later released as they couldn’t find any evidence against him; besides the accused allegedly had political influence.
The parents at the centre were guided by the NGO.
“We came forward in support for the survival of her family and helped them register case under POCSO (protection of children from sexual offences) act 2012.
We started counseling to both the girl and her family. Every kind of support (which includes emotional, medical, and legal aid) was given to them,” said program coordinator.
He said finally, culprit was sent behind the bars by the collaborative efforts of childline foundation and child welfare committee.
He said later the girl gave birth to a baby. “The baby was adopted by child welfare committee after the necessary legal formalities”.
Meanwhile, the girl was counseled by our counselors and was going through regular follow ups. “Face to face counseling sessions and home sessions were conducted. She had given up her studies due to the shock,” he said.
After motivation the girl appeared in the board examination of class 10th, though she couldn’t clear all her subjects in first attempt but had to take another attempt to qualify matric exams.
“Her confidence was boosted to such an extent that she lives a normal life now,” the counselor said.
Oris Yusuf, programme coordinator of Child Line India Foundation, narrated another incident.
“A 21-year-old youth came to child line foundation and narrated how he was abused by a fake faith healer who knows some sort of healing. What has happened with him should not be repeated with other children,” he said.
The youth’s parents had taken him to the fake healer, who told them to leave him in his house as he has to perform some faith healing to cure him at night.
“My parents trusted him, and left me with him for a night. Unaware of the reality of that fake healer, later in the night spiritual healer abused me sexually,” the youth told the counselor.
Oris said that after the boy reported to child line foundation; their team lodged an F.I.R against that fake faith healer.
“In the evening our team and police raided jointly to the identified place, initially no evidences were found against that fake faith healer. As, no one wanted to cooperate with us due to fear of social stigma,” said Oris.
Oris said that after assuring them the confidentiality of the case, some of them came forward to cooperate with us.
“They revealed that the faith healer himself indulge in sexual abuse with the children and force them to abuse each other. We filed a case in the court, hearing were taking place at regular intervals, finally we won the case. And the culprit was sent behind the bars,” he said.
Another case was referred to them by women helpline 181, an NGO, dealing with cases related to women abuse, as the survivor was a minor.
“A minor, class 10th student was playing in a ground of school; a small boy approached her and handed over a slip saying that her brother is waiting for her outside the school premises. When she reached the school premises, a person waiting outside tried to drag her into the cab.
On the very first day, her parents register a case in a police station; police asked them to file this case in the concerned police station.”
On September 8 they lodged F.I.R. in concerned police station and arrested the accused and his associate cab driver. They were subsequently released on bail.
He said on October 2 at 11 p.m.at night the survivor was again allegedly abducted.
“Her mouth was closed with some cloth and some substance was given to her by which she got unconscious. After regaining consciousness, she finds herself in the ground. They had worn monkey caps. She had been raped,” her father told the counselor.
“Accused is giving them threats that they must take case back otherwise; he would repeat the same incidents with the survivor. Later, we referred case to the concerned child Welfare committee as this case falls in their jurisdiction,” Javeed said.
“The case is in progress and legal proceedings are taking place,” he said.
United Nations convention for the rights of the children contains 54 articles stating the rights of children around the world. It is a human right treaty which guards the civil, political, economical, social, health and cultural rights of the children.
There are various organizations in the valley who work for the protection and rights of the children like, child line foundation India 1098(CLF), children welfare committee (CWC), save our soul (SOS) and Save the children etc.
Programme coordinator Oris Yusuf said, “Number of cases of child abuse can be reduced if parents be vigilant, attentive and observe their children keenly. Awareness among the innocent children should be given through different Medias. If any such incident takes place to any child they should come forward and report to organizations dealing with such cases”.
He further added, “Unfortunately there is a sense of guilt among the children in case of sexual abuse, for which a child is not responsible at all, which affects the psyche of the child very badly”.
