Relief to rape victims in State still a far cry
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, December 03 2012:
Even though the State Social Welfare Department has implemented a scheme for providing relief and rehabilitation to rape victims, a number of rape victims in the State have been able to access and enjoy the benefit of the scheme.
According to highly placed sources, the Scheme for Relief and Rehabilitation of Victims of Rape has been implemented in Manipur since the beginning of this year.
But so far, only four rape victims have been provided the benefits assured under the scheme.
This is despite the fact that number of women including young girls who have suffered the brunt of rape in Manipur.
Sources revealed that cases of violence against women in the state have increased alarmingly over the last few years.
Among the various instances of crime against women, rape is the biggest and most merciless crime meted out to them.
A number of rape victims including girls as young as nine years have been living with the trauma, pain and agony of violating their chastity in Manipur.
Though no specific record has been maintained by the State Government on the number of rape victims, yet it is crystal clear that the number of rape victims in the state is high as reported in the media and from the reports of CSOs.
There might also be a number of other cases which went unreported.
Though the Scheme for Relief and Rehabilitation of Victims of Rape has been implemented in the State under the sponsorship of Central Government, yet the manner of implementing the scheme is not praiseworthy.
It has been seen that the scheme is being implemented just for the hack of it, sources observed.
Sources maintained that one of the main reasons for the increase in the number of rape cases in the state is due to failure of the concerned authority to punish the rapists and letting them go scot-free.