A six-year-old girl was raped inside Sant Nirankari Public School toilet in Malviya Nagar by the school's housekeeping staff on Wednesday, reported news agency ANI.
The incident comes nearly a month after a 7-year-old boy, Pradyuman Thakur, was killed inside the toilet of Ryan International School in Gurugram allegedly by a bus conductor.
The incident came to light when the child returned home from school and told her mother. The child was rushed to AIIMS where the doctors confirmed that she had been raped. As per a report in The Hindustan Times, doctors told the girl’s parents that the internal wounds of girl will be treated only after a surgery.
Advertisement
“We are in shock and have nothing to say. We send our kids to get educated and not to be victims of such perverts loitering in schools,” the father said.
“We have arrested the accused school employee and he has been sent to the police custody,” news agency ANI reported quoting a police official. "A case of rape and under sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) has also been registered against the accused school staff," he added.
According to the victim's mother, her daughter was supposed to be assisted by a female keeper to the washroom who was missing at the time the incident occurred.
Advertisement
“After using the washroom, my daughter called the woman for help but as the female employee was missing, the male employee entered and assaulted my child,” HT quoted the victim's parents as saying.
“We are in shock and have nothing to say. We send our kids to get educated and not to be victims of such perverts loitering in schools,” said the victim's father.
In another incident, reported from Uttrakhand a class 12th student on Wednesday has alleged that she was sexually molested by her male school teacher inside his cabin during the school hours.
The latest incidents have once again brought the issue of students' safety to the fore.
According to India's National Crime Records Bureau, almost 100,000 crimes against children were reported in 2015. More than a third of them were sexual crimes.
But experts say that many more cases probably go unreported, for fear of ostracism, "family honor" or simply ignorance on the part of the victim.
According to data compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) for 2015, 8,800 cases of rape on children were registered across the country under the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).
In 2,227 cases, or 25.3 per cent, the offenders were found to be employees or co-workers.
Advertisement
* Neighbours were the biggest abusers in such cases in 2015 — 3,149 (35.8%).
* In over 10 per cent of cases last year, children were subjected to rape by their own family members or relatives.
* In 94.8 per cent of cases, children were subjected to rape by someone known to them.
* 14,913 cases were registered under POCSO in 2015.
(With Inputs From ANI and NCRB)
