The city reacted with shock after the brutal Nirbhaya-like rape of a five-year-old child. The girl was abducted and raped with a broom inserted into her private parts in Kandivili."One thing is clear that younger people are becoming more and more vulnerable in this city and state," said Sonya Gill, member of All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA), an organisation that works towards women issues. Sonya was just one of the people voicing concern that has been repeated by many for the brutality.People who do not have homes are most vulnerable. The poor and young ones are turning out to be easy targets. "Children from poorer backgrounds are particularly exposed and the state needs to do something. This is a failure of the state and all the institutions," said Gill. Gull further added, "Normlessness and falling in social rules should be blamed and need to be improved."The gradual decrease of effective policing and no fear of law are the reason that have resulted in increasing brutality. "There is hardly any policing we see. There is no fear of law. People are able to get away with what they do," said Noorjehan Safia Niaz, member of Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, a women's rights group.Psychiatrist who have been studying the issue compared the instance with a malnourished child that gets attacked by viruses and bad bacteria. "The city is in that state now. It is a failing, malnourished city that is attacked by all the bad elements. The weakest are most vulnerable in this situation. This is growing into an epidemic proportion and unless there is a peoples' movement against this, the problem will only worsen," said Dr. Harish Shetty, a social psychiatrist.Shetty added that the growing anonymity among the citizens needs to be particularly checked. "Earlier people could connect and related. With high-rises and people living a segregated life, the anonymity and sense towards social norms has reduced. That needs to change to stop this."

COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING