THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Social Justice Department, in an unprecedented move, is taking the fight against sexual abuse right into the homes of the victims. The Department has begun a comprehensive exercise to document the victim’s family background, the financial and emotional condition of her family members, and her life before the abuse. The objectives are to identify the factors that led to the abuse and to evolve a future course of action not just for the tormented child but also for her family.
The documentation process, in the first phase, will be carried out in the homes of the 70-odd abuse victims lodged in the state’s first-ever Nirbhaya Home. Each of these 70 houses will be visited by a team of two: a trained social worker under the Nirbhaya project and a local-level volunteer working for the Kerala Mahila Samakhya Society. In certain cases, if the need is felt, the victim will also be taken along.
The two reports, which will be filed separately, will give two perspectives; one of an academic and the other of a local woman with a long experience in dealing with female issues. The twin reports from all the 70 houses will have to be submitted in three months. “These reports will be vetted by a panel of experts and a single report will be put out by the middle of March,” a top Social Justice Department official said. The report, it is expected, will provide a template for a larger anti-abuse strategy for the state.
Besides background check, the team will assess the conditions prevailing in the victim’s home, will check on the physical and mental health of the victim's parents and will interact with neighbours, friends and school teachers. “During a visit to a victim’s house we found that the mother was blind and that the father had left the mother for another woman. Along with the victim, the mother too will have to be given care and protection,” the official said.
