DHENKANAL: The Covid-19 pandemic has also led to increased incidence of sexual violence against minors in the district, data has revealed.As per reports, between April 27 and September 30, about 27 minor girls have reportedly been sexually abused in the district. All the victims are below 18 years of age and most of them have been sexually violated by men known to them.
The minors, in many cases, were allegedly lured by married and unmarried men on false assurances of marriage and abused. The victims have been rescued by police and handed over to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) which accommodated them at an open shelter house before uniting them with families.
CWC sources informed that almost all incidents have taken place in the absence of the minors’ parents. There have also been instances where the accused have managed to lure the girls into secret marriages in temples and other places in absence of family members. In one of the cases, the accused tricked a minor by giving her misleading information about her brother.
When the latter was disturbed on hearing that her brother was injured due to an electric shock, she sought the accused’s help. She was then waylaid and harrased but had a narrow escape. “To add to the trauma, families of three minor victims have refused to take them back. They belong to backward communities and fear social ostracisation. One of them delivered a baby boy in August and another is pregnant. They are being given proper care and health facilities. Most of the accused have been arrested under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012,” they said, adding that the three abandoned minors are currently housed in the open shelter home.
Meanwhile, CWC Chairperson Pratap Acharaya stated that 24 out of 27 minor victims have been united with their parents after constant counselling. Follow-up initiatives are also being taken. “However, the remaining three are still at the shelter house as their families are refusing to accept the girls fearing social boycott. Since most victims belong to SC and ST communities, their cases are being considered for financial compensation in designated courts,” he added.