PM Modi visited London last week. While the majority of the Indian diaspora was busy dancing and cheering, there were few speaking up against the rampant child sexual abuse in India. I interviewed one of the organisers, Farzana Gafoor. Here’s our conversation:
1. What inspired you to organise the protest (other than brutal violence committed against children and women in India)?
I was a victim of child sexual abuse myself, and I have met a lot of victims and survivors who have been subjected to abuse. This has been happening around us for quite some time now, and it is alarming that how common this issue has become. When reading it in the newspapers about this almost every day, where a child has been molested or raped, there is no use just pitying and going on with our everyday lives thinking, “There is nothing we can do about it.” If you do think that way, you can not be more wrong. There is a saying, “It takes a village to raise a child”, and likewise it takes every one of us to bring a much-needed change, and this is why we decided to protest.
2. So what were the major demands you wanted to be heard and who or which authorities, in particular, you wanted to pay attention?
The protest was not only for the 8-year-old victim in Kathua but other children as well whose voices are still unheard. One of the reasons we protested was demanding for stricter laws in regards to child sexual violence. There is no fear in our country when it comes to sexual abuse in general. Many think that they can get away with it and the shocking part is that there are a lot of loopholes when it comes to the system that many perpetrators are actually getting away with it. One such case happened in Tamil Nadu last year where a seven-year-old girl was raped and murdered, and the culprit got out on bail. How did this possibly happen? How is our government so messed up?
Children are the future our country and if we cannot protect them, what future do we have?
The other reason we were protesting is for awareness in the society. We feel that the government should bring awareness programs to parents and especially children. The government should make it compulsory in all the school curricula to educate children on ‘good touch bad touch’. There also should be a proper process when it comes to reporting crimes against children and every report must be taken seriously.
3. What was the turn out like, how did the protest go?
We are not a part of an organisation; we were just a group of youngsters who organised this protest with no religious or political agenda, considering that, there was a very good turn out. It showed what we could do as common people just by standing together and raising our voice.
4. What were your personal observations from what you saw in the crowd?
We did face a few backlashes while we were organising the protest, some people trying to make it political, some in support of and some against Modi. My answer to them was, no matter who the ruling party was this happened because there are a lot of loopholes in the system and it is very corrupted.
5. Considering that PM Modi was in London and the majority of Indians were excited to welcome him, and barely few protesting to bring his government’s attention to the violent rapes in India, what were your feelings about the Indian diaspora in London?
While the whole country was outraged and mourning the loss of the victims, I feel that it was unnecessary that the arrival of Modi was celebrated. At the end of the day, he was here on an official trip, and I do not see why he was treated like a celebrity.
6. As an Indian living in London, when people of other nationalities talk to you about India, what is their take on the violent rapes?
I have had a few of them tell me, “Doesn’t rape happen a lot in your country?” I am ashamed as an Indian when I hear that, but there is no use being silent about it. Each one of us has a responsibility when it comes to bringing out a change. The more you silence this, the more it will come knocking on your door. Child sexual abuse is a social issue, and it is everybody’s problem.
7. What is your message to the Indians living in the UK regarding the current rape incidents we hear in the news daily? And what is your message to those in India?
Do not stop asking questions and raising your voice because that is what happened in Nirbhaya’s case. People were outraged for a while, but people forgot once the media had other stories to cover. We must fight for this until no child is ever a victim. Nobody has the right to take away a child’s innocence, and we shouldn’t let anyone get away with it.