RAPE OF A TODDLER

Not exactly, toddler. She was older: all of THREE years. This girl was gang-raped in Kerala this week and abandoned as garbage, perhaps taken for dead.

Irrespective of what brutes did this, what banality could lead anyone to be this insensitive and this barbaric, the question I ask today is, why are there so many rapes in these last few years? So many child rapes? Rape probably existed always, but peace time child rapes and this rampant is a new horribly worrisome phenomenon.

Pray, how to PROTECT these kids, these tiny flowers entrusted to our joint human custody?

In inviting a discussion/debate on this I start off with some random thoughts:

a. declare the rape of a minor, leading to her death, one of a ‘rarest of rare crime’ with the only punishment being death, the trial being concluded within three months at each court

b. come down heavily on any form of harassment of women – from eve-teasing to molestation, with the onus shifting on the man under seemingly probable circumstances.

c. and either
ban the exhibition of all sexually provocative material [songs, films, posters, paintings, sculpture, literature, advertising..whatever] and seize it the moment it is seen
or
liberate access to consented adult sex, allow licensed and regulated red-light areas, let sex-toys be marketed etc

d. promote the rehabilitation and marriage of rape victims through state patronage

e. strictly delink all consented sex from the scope of rape and come down heavily upon those that misuse protection under anti-rape laws

Please join in this debate.

[I promise that if and when you feel that enough useful, original material has emerged here we will submit a memorandum to the authorities you suggest, or otherwise reach it to where you feel it would matter more.]