4-year-old allegedly rapes classmate. Who's to blame?
In a horrifying case, a four-year-old in Delhi has been accused of raping his female classmate in school with his fingers and a pencil. A medical examination has confirmed sexual assault. Though a case has been registered, police are unsure how to proceed in this sensitive matter. Whom can we blame in such cases, where the perpetrator might not even know what 'assault' is?
What happened?
The girl's mother said after returning from school last Friday, she complained of pain in her private parts, but her mother ignored it initially. However, she kept crying. She eventually told them the boy had unbuttoned her pants and assaulted her with his fingers. There was no one in the classroom or washroom, she said. The parents approached police after doctors confirmed sexual assault.
School allegedly refused to divulge details of the accused
The mother has alleged school authorities didn't cooperate. Even when they informed a teacher, a coordinator and the principal, they offered no help. They also allegedly refused to reveal details of the accused student. However, her daughter was captured on CCTV exiting late from the classroom, which she said proved her version. But the school's lawyer insisted there's an ayah present in every classroom.
What does the law say about such crimes?
According to Dependra Pathak, Delhi police spokesperson, "The Indian Penal Code provides children below seven years of age certain protections against prosecutions. We are examining those provisions even as we are handling the matter with utmost sensitivity."
8-year-old, assaulted by an adult, was found abusing a friend
Such cases are horrifying not just for the victim, but even for the perpetrator, who possibly themselves don't know what they're doing. In May, a case of an eight-year-old in an MP orphanage assaulting a peer came to light. Shockingly, she explained, "Brother told me that it's good for health." Police later discovered she herself had been abused by an orphanage employee for months.
Such abusive behavior mostly a result of copying, experts say
Children often learn such behavior by imitating what they observe, either on television or adults around them, like they do everything else, experts say. At such an age, everything around them affects children: the immediate environment, relationship with family, or violence at home or neighborhood. Instead of punishing them, elders need to behave responsibly and explain the difference between good touch and bad touch.
