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The mother’s voice has been altered to protect the identity of the victim’s family.
In a candid conversation with The Quint, the mother of a 11-year-old student who was raped by a member of his school staff for five years, reveals how she discovered the sexual abuse. She narrates the whole story, from how she found out that her child was sexually abused to the difficulty in managing the fallout.
On 20 October, the parents of the 11-year-old filed a complaint of sexual assault in Greater Noida. The FIR said that the boy had been sexually assaulted by a member of school staff for almost 5 years inside the school.
How did he express [the incident]?
He just said, ‘Uncle told me to bend down like this,’ he showed me. Then he [uncle] would do something, he doesn’t even know what it was. So he didn’t know what pleasure the man was getting.
How frequently was he abused?
He told me three times in a month, that’s from the back, but I don’t know how many times from the front because the man used to fondle him.
This had been happening for 5 years?
Yes. According to what he told me. If someone came in, he would run into the stall and tell him to put on his clothes.
Aren’t there ‘aayas’ in the toilet?
Aayas are there.
Then where were they?
I don’t understand.
According to the mother, her son only revealed the truth after her and her husband questioned him for 2-3 hours.
Your son never tried to stop him?
He did not have the awareness that it was child abuse. He said sometimes the man called him, but he didn’t go. The man gained his confidence, he was playing with his private parts. He said, “Your parents will beat you and you will never come to school again”.
He never complained to anybody?
Nobody, nobody. It happened after lunch, fifth period, 12 o’clock every time. I asked the man when I met him, “Why did you choose my child?” He said, “Your son is very quiet, whatever I did, he never protested”.
The Police has registered a case under Sections 3 and 4 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. The perpetrator, Ashok, was arrested and put behind bars. But so far, no action has been taken against the school. According to the police, they are still looking into the school’s role.
According to the mother, the School Principal has resigned. The Principal sent her a WhatsApp message saying that the accused was more powerful than she was, the mother said.
The parents have now shifted the child to a different school, but that is hardly enough. His parents feel that he is traumatised and has become withdrawn.
As far as safety is concerned, what precautions do you want the school to take?
We have told the school that one student should accompany him to the toilet. He shouldn’t go alone. I believe my son is in shock. Ever since he joined this new school, he hasn’t gone to the washroom.
As a mother, she says she missed certain behavioural changes – like her son becoming more withdrawn, less playful and cheerful – that could have given her a clue much sooner. But at the same time, she is hopeful about the future.
Cameraperson: Abhay Sharma
Video Editor: Purnendu Pritam
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