ITANAGAR, Sep 24: The Arunachal Pradesh Mahila Congress Committee (APMCC) has strongly condemned the alleged rape of two minor girls at Helipad Colony in Naharlagun and sought “immediate action to award requisite punishment to the alleged rapist, so that justice is given to the two minor survivors without delay.”
In a press statement on Monday evening, APMCC president Nabam Yakum urged the state government to constitute an independent Child Rights Commission as early as possible for timely intervention with strong legal and technical apparatuses to protect children in need.
“The state government must also establish counselling centres equipped with experts to assist survivors psychologically and legally,” she said, and expressed dismay at the increasing number of crimes against girl children in the state.
“A girl child is not only losing her right to live with liberty as an independent individual but such heinous crimes are also unconsciously promoting an ill practice of gender-based violence, which in return is enforcing unsafe environment and fear psychosis to silence the voice of women and girl child,” the APMCC said.
“Since the past decades, the emphasis was on sex education to adolescents and teaching of bad and good touch to the small children to protect themselves. However, the system has forgotten to train and orient the people to change their mindset to keep their progeny safe and sound. It is very upsetting that incidents pertaining to child abuse, molestation and rape are rising in numbers and the state has no effective mechanism to curtail such. There is no legal guidance and well-strategized process to rehabilitate the survivors,” it added.
