CHENNAI: Social activists and actors from the Tamil film industry on Tuesday staged a protest demanding justice for the 11-year-old hearing impaired girl, who was raped by multiple men for more than seven months. They demanded death penalty for all accused who brutally raped the minor girl.
Around 200 members gathered at Valluvar Kottam including the family members of the victim to express solidarity with the child. They raised slogans including ‘Kids deserve love and care, criminals should be punished , fight back now, don’t wait until your daughter and sisters are raped’.
Referring to the general trend of blaming the family members for their negligence in missing out behavioural changes of the victim, a relative of the girl said the men raped her when she returned from school and went down to play inside the apartment complex. “When home campus itself is not safe for the children where else can safety be expected,” questioned the uncle.
He also said the victim was in much trauma and couldn’t talk about the incidents, observing that even for adult victims it would take time to speak out. The victim’s sister who also participated in the protest told Express that her sister was recovering and would join school after a few months.
Actor Ganesh Venkatraman and social activist Apsara Reddy also participated in the protest and said, “We should teach children good touch and bad touch”.“We should create an environment where the children are safe and in case of distress they should open up to the family members who should support such victims,” said Apsara.The members urged a speedy trial of the case. They also congratulated the police on acting swiftly and arresting the suspects.