Every child has the right to an education

Punish those who deny victims of sexual violence their legal right to go to school

How does society break the spirit of a girl who has survived the worst form of sexual violence, physical assault or life-threatening medical condition? You deny her the right to get an education. That is what happened in the case of a Delhi student whose parents have alleged that her school has asked her not to attend classes as it would “tarnish the image of the school.” The class X student was kidnapped, raped and thrown out of a moving car. Even after she recovered, the girl was in for another shock. The school told the parents it would promote their daughter to Class XI only if she stopped attending classes. The school even forbade her from using the bus services, added the parents. The discrimination isn’t limited to rape victims alone. According to studies by nongovernmental bodies, children living with or affected by HIV/ AIDS are increasingly being denied admission, suspended, expelled and publicly ridiculed by school authorities.

Apathetic teachers are not the only ones perpetuating hostility on unfortunate victims of sexual violence. Often, it is the pressure from parents of other children that forces many schools to expel students suffering from HIV. In January, while hearing a public interest litigation, the Supreme Court came to the rescue of such students with a promise to evolve guidelines under the Right to Education Act.

Government statistics say a woman is raped every 15 minutes in India and according to NACO statistics, 2.45 lakh of the 30.9 lakh people living with HIV in the country are children aged 15 or less. For a country that preens about its demographic dividend — more than 63% of the population is aged 15-59 years – such stigmatising is a shameful reality staring us in the face. The State needs to come down hard on those indulging in blame shifting and discrimination. It is the least we owe to the victims of such circumstances.