[31 Jan 2017]The Catalog: How We Were Beguiled
In this edition of The Catalog, we are taking a look at the confessions of Sunil Rastogi, a serial child sex offender who last week admitted to assaulting over 500 girls.
He claims to have a fetish for minors as he believed that they were virgins. He would catch a train to Delhi and prowl low and lonely terraces in anonymous neighborhoods. He had 15 FIRs against him and 5 previous arrests, most to do with sexual offences against children and abducting women. But he roamed free to plan and execute his crimes.
His confession lays bare the gaps in child protection in India. His targeting of children in low socio-economic areas around the capital is symptomatic of our infrastructure and attitudes. His obsession around ‘virgnity’ and sense of entitlement mirror the sensibilities of our mainstream. The startling impunity with which he acted seem indicative of the lapses in our justice system and the blind-spots in our minds.
It’s been a turbulent January with no respite in sight. There’s a lot going on with the world. And it seems easier to react than to focus and dive deep. A knee-jerk may solve a Rastogi but to build safer neighborhoods for our children, a long hard look inside is what seems to be needed.
#Quote of the Week:
– Photograph from the 2017 Women’s March
#The Confession
A Man Confesses
To those who knew him, Sunil Rastogi’s arrest did not come as surprise. They knew about his obsession with minor girls but while some believed that he would change, others chose to turn a blind eye. Even the police when they once apprehended him beat him up and let him go. It is a case the proverbial ‘entire village’ failing the children.
How We Were Beguiled: From Savile to Rastogi. Why We Fail to Spot The Perpetrators
17 years ago, journalist Louis Theroux made an acclaimed documentary on British television personality Jimmy Savile. In 2011, around the time of Savile’s death, whispers claiming that he was a serial sex offender started to become louder. Complaints against Savile stretched over a period of 50 years. The subsequent investigations posed Theroux with some of the same questions that we are trying to grapple with today: Why didn’t he see anything? Why wasn’t he able to bring Savile to justice? What was his share of the culpability? And most importantly, what can we learn from what happened?
Unprepared Systems & Inadequate Responses
In the ensuing weeks after Rastogi’s confession, there has been much debate on two particular aspects of dealing with pedophiles/serial sex offendors- mental health interventions for serial sex offenders (click above) and the sex offenders registry.
#Sex Offenders
WCD Minister Writes to Ministry of External Affairs for Restricting Entry to Travelling SexOffenders
Ms. Maneka Gandhi calls for a robust system of checks and balances that will disallow and discourage travelling sex offenders from coming into India. It is a much needed first step in the light of a rash of tourists being arrested for various sexual offences against children in the country.
Who are Hebephiles & Ephebophiles? You Need to Know.
Hebephiles and ephebophiles are adults who are attracted to tweens and teens. Not all adults who pursue teens and tweens are predatory ephebophiles. But one of the most important things experts advise parents is to ensure that their children tell them about any alone-time they spend with an adult or older teen.
#New @ Aarambh
There are some new additions to our video pages for you to use. They include a powerful Hindi PSA on most perpetrators are individuals known to the child. You may use it together with the powerful confrontation scene from the acclaimed motion picture ‘Monsoon Wedding’. Also find 3 amazing animated videos by the good people atamaze.org that are perfect resources to build up to that tough talk, but in a pitch perfect tone. There’s one on Porn: Fact Or Fiction, one on Consent and one on Gender.
[Work With Us] Aarambh India Is Looking For a Counselor
We are looking for a sensitive, motivated counselor to join the Aarambh India team. The person will be responsible for providing mental health support for child victims of sexual offences and families in the city of Mumbai. The position is a part of our ongoing project of creating ‘Child Friendly Systems’ in the city of Mumbai, in partnership with UNICEF.
#MustRead
Listen Up! Iceland Knows How to Stop Teen Substance Abuse
The most inspiring thing we read all fortnight. It is the story of an entire country that spotted an issue, found the right approach, geared up and helped their youngest citizens have healthier, safer lives. Instead of trying to impose bans, induce fear and crack down on rights, Iceland asked itself: “Why not orchestrate a social movement around natural highs?”
When Eleven Young Women Took On Gandhi
The second most inspiring thing we read all fortnight. 11 young women from Bengal debate Gandhi. They call out and question his comments on the dress codes of “modern women”. An article by the redoubtable Ramachandra Guha.
#Events
National Consultation On the POCSO ACT
When: 4th, 5th February 2017
Where: Bangalore
A National Consultation on the POCSO Act to understand implementation and best practices followed across the states of India. The recommendations made by the voices in this consultation will be compiled into a report, to be submitted to the State Government of Karnataka and the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
That’s it for this Fortnight. See You In the Next!
To Contribute to The Catalog, email us at aarambh.prerana @ gmail.com or call/whatsapp on +91-8652625505.
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