It’s the Last Day to Donate for 8-Month-Old Rape Survivor Chhutki

Dear all, thank you for your support for 8-month-old rape survivor Chhutki. Today is the last day to donate for her.

The baby, who we are calling ‘Chhutki’, is still undergoing treatment after being raped and abandoned.

(Photo: The Quint)

Tumultuous outrage broke out in the national capital on 28 January after an 8-month-old baby was raped in her home in a north Delhi locality when her parents were away. The outrage led to the Supreme Court stepping in and directing that the baby be relocated from the local hospital to AIIMS in New Delhi for better medical care. It also allocated funds for the baby’s surgeries.

The Quint has been tracking the little one’s recovery for a month-and-a-half now, and on 16 February, launched a campaign for her, fondly referring to her as ‘Chhutki’. Since then, our ‘Help Chhtuki’ campaign – in association with crowdfunding platform Bitgiving – has seen overwhelming love, support and solidarity for the child from all corners of the country and outside.

Today marks the last day of our campaign.

We had set out on a journey to help raise money for Chhutki, so that the family – her father is a daily wage labourer and her mother a house help – may be able to secure her future.

Chhutki was raped allegedly by her own cousin, a 28-year-old man, who lived in the room above her parents’ when the latter had left home, leaving her in the care of their relatives. The cousin, Suraj, later confessed to the police that he’d committed the crime “under the influence of alcohol.”

The parents have left their day jobs, which barely covered their expenses in the first place, to take care of their baby. They have an older daughter too who is just two-years-old.

This money that our readers and viewers have helped us accumulate in the ‘Help Chhutki’ fund will be suitably apportioned to her immediate hospital needs and her education (school and college) until she turns 21.

We wanted to make sure that even in the midst of the horrors Chhutki has had to face, she will at least have the financial support to fall back on.

Let’s make the most of the day to contribute. You can click here to donate. Every little bit helps.

(The Quint has given up the use of plastic plates and spoons in its cafeteria. This Earth Hour, what will you #GiveUp to save your planet? Use the hashtag #GiveUp and tag @TheQuint to tell us.)