Campaign against Pedophilia

Thiruvananthapuram: A group of activists has initiated a Facebook campaign against the pro-paedophilic writings on Facebook supporting the accused in the Edapal theatre incident. The campaign against abuse has been started on the Facebook page of Manaveeyam Theruvidam, a cultural collective in the city. Those behind the campaign included activists associated with the Centre for Film, Gender and Cultural Studies.

Dr Arifa Rehman, a doctor at the Academy of Medical Sciences, Pariyaram,  one of the members of the group,  told Deccan Chronicle that earlier there was an effort to normalise paedophilia on the Facebook. There were  arguments that claimed that paedophilia was a sexual choice. They even tried to relate this with LGBT.  “We had started a campaign  against abuse then. We also  lodged complaints against the efforts to give legitimacy to paedophilia with the DGP and child rights commission,” said Dr Rehman.

However, the  police and commission are slow to  take action on the complaints. This has given the persons, who have been in the forefront of such campaigns, the courage to come out in the open for paedophiles after the Edapal incident. They have even argued for the cause of  Moideenkutty accused in the theatre incident, said Dr Rehman.

“I have even problem with the usage of the word paedophile to describe child abusers. They abuse children not because they have such a tendency. The reason for the child abuse is more a realisation that children are easy victims,” said Dr Rehman. “Our campaign is not restricted to the Facebook. We have been making complaints against such abusers. We are also planning poster and other such campaigns on campuses.  Those who oppose such phenomenon are not organised. On the other hand people who come up in support of paedophilia on Facebook, though  short in number,  are much organised,” said Dr Rehman.