Hindi

A 9-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly gang-raped, killed, and forcibly cremated in our national capital on 1st August according to various media reports. Being Dalit women ourselves, we feel restless, uneasy, and angry are more details of the horrific crime emerge. 

The public uproar has put pressure on the media to report, and the police and the government to take action. 4 people including a priest and crematorium workers have been arrested, and an investigation has begun.

Public outrage, wall-to-wall media coverage, arrests, hashtags that have begun trending on social media - these are the usual responses to such incidents. 

Soon the outrage will die down, the candles will flicker out, and everyone will go back to business as usual except the victim’s distraught parents. Fighting justice will become their lone battle and it will go on for years. Until the next incident shakes our collective conscience. Another violent attack, another child, another family.

It’s high time something shifts. And that begins with acknowledging what this incident is: a violent, sexual, caste-based attack on a girl child. Denying the caste and gender does us no good, and insults her memory.

We are both Dalit women, one of us is a college professor who also works on caste and gender with a focus on Dalit women and their rights and the other is a social worker.

Sign my petition asking the Law Minister and Women and Child Development Minister to ensure justice. This includes

• fast-tracking this case in POCSO courts so that the culprits are brought to book within 6 months from the time the FIR is filed
• Police protection to the victim’s family as the risk of caste-based violence and intimidation is a real possibility
• Legal and financial support for the victim’s family to continue pursuing this matter till the end
• I am also asking for a dedicated helpline for Dalits, particularly Dalit women who face atrocities to be able to report crimes and receive assistance.

Sustained public pressure and not short-lived public outrage will lead to meaningful results. Please show that you are with us by signing and sharing this petition in all your circles - friends, family and colleagues.

Please let’s not get drawn into nonsensical debates, which will only derail us from achieving the objective of justice. Let’s not give in to apathy either, otherwise the next attack will be on our conscience. Let’s ensure justice is served. 

(Image credit: Newslaundry)