Job upgrade eludes rape survivor

A rape survivor of an ashram school in Maharashtra, who had been 'rehabilitated' by the state as a peon, has not been upgraded to clerical position even after having a diploma in Education.

The girl, a Class 6 student from a poor tribal family of a remote village in Nandurabar district, had been raped by the superintendent of a government-run ashram school in 2002.

Putting the trauma behind her, the girl expressed her resolve to complete her education and went on to complete her Ded.

The plight of the rape survivor has been documented in a report by a committee of women legislators consisting of Vidya Thakur, MoS, women and child development department, Neelam Gorhe, Shobha Fadnavis, Vidya Chavan and Amita Chavan among other 13 members of the committee.

It was tabled in the state legislature on Thursday.

The girl had applied for primary teacher's post in the tribal department but was first asked to qualify for the Teacher's Eligibility Test (TET) to be eligible for the teacher's post. She was, however, accommodated as a peon.

"Since the TET provision came much after the rape incident, and the tribal department has hired teachers without a DEd diploma, due to unavailability of aspirants, the government should consider her application as a special case.

Meanwhile, she must be trained to be upgraded in the clerical rank," recommends the committee.