Rehabilitation benefits elude rape victim
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, May 27 2018:
Even as the Scheme for Relief and Rehabilitation of Victims of Rape warranties psychological, medical and legal support to rape victims, the 14 year old victim of the Thanga gangrape case of February 13,2018 has not been given any such aid even though it has been 102 days since the horrifying incident took place.
As the victim has been suffering from depression and trauma in the aftermath of the incident, she is staying away from school.
Sometimes she loses consciousness when she recalls the incident.
It is not only the girl, her whole family has been traumatised.
The victim's mother told media persons today, "My daughter was kidnapped and gangraped by five men.
They abandoned my daughter thinking that she was dead".
According to the mother, the victim was threatened by some unidentified individuals repeatedly while police took her statements every now and then thereby subjecting the gangrape survivor to undue mental harassment.
On the other hand, two suspects of the crime have been released on bail, she said.
One aunt of the victim said that the families of the two accused released on bail have been speaking and acting very arrogantly as if the two accused are innocent while the girl was at fault.
She said that the victim and her family are yet to receive any kind of assistance from any quarter.
Even though the girl has been suffering from physical and mental pain, she has not received any psychological or medical support.
The aunt said that the Government should be held accountable if the victim commits suicide unable to bear the injustice done to her by releasing two of the accused namely Heisnam Arunthoi and Heisnam Hopking on bail.
She pointed out that the accused of Nirbhaya gangrape case who were younger than 18 years were not released on bail.
She also expressed strong displeasure against the failure of Manipur Commission for Women and the Manipur Commission for Protection of Child Rights and other authorities .to do anything towards delivering justice in the Thanga gangrape case.