Badlapur sexual assault: Parents' outcry grows, urgent call for stringent school safety measures

A country seething in anger. Questioning if anything has indeed changed on ground for women and children 12 years after the Nirbhaya incident. While the country was still gripping under the horrors of the brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old bright and kind doctor at her workplace, Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, another incident of sexual assault came from the prosperous state of Maharashtra. This time, two four-year-olds had been attacked, in their very school - a place that is considered to be the second safest after home.

As news about the incident spread, questions over the incident and vulnerability of school children only started getting deeper instead of reaching satisfactory conclusions. Yes, the 21-year-old male attendant has been arrested. But the question is, why was a male attendant deployed at a girls' washroom? How are staffers in schools appointed so casually without taking into consideration even the basic safety aspects? Do schools that charge whopping fees from parents have no accountability? Are they only going to lose their licenses while their officials and management walk out free? Sexual assaults leave deep trauma in the mind of a survivor. Shouldn't the punishments get more stringent so that an example is set and there is deterrence against such crimes?

Parents speak

Rachana Yadav, a mother of two from Goregaon, said such incidents are very worrying. "We leave kids for six-seven hours in school. Yes, there are CCTV cameras. But no parent ever asks the authorities to show if they are functional. In Badlapur case also, the CCTV footage went missing. What does that mean? The school knew what had happened but was complicit in the crime as it tried to brush things under the carpet. What are parents supposed to do? I think we must start demanding schools for CCTV footage every PTA meeting so that at least we know that the cameras are functional," said Yadav, whose kids study in Class 6 and 8 in a famous ICSE school in the suburbs.

"We have female staffers as far as I know… outside washrooms and on school buses. But these days, kids are so vulnerable, it's really scary. We never experienced any fear while going to school but it's very different today. And one can't be assured that female staffers mean foolproof safety. Some years ago, there was an incident where a teenager was sexually assaulted after a female attendant of the school connived with her attacker. We as parents trust the school when it comes to our kids' safety. We believe that the staff they have hired would ensure the safety of our kids and won't be sexual offenders. But other than that, parents feel helpless," said Pooja Tiwari, a Navi Mumbai resident, whose child studies in Class 2 in an ICSE school at Vashi.

While parents of kids studying in posh schools are bound to have their concerns as the Badlapur school was also a prominent one in the area, those whose children go to municipal school have concerns about the overall impact of such cases coming from various parts of the country.

Chitra Tele works as a domestic help in Borivali. She said that while such incidents create fears in the minds of parents of school-going children, those doing odd jobs and living in slums face more humiliation amid such cases. "Educated and well-off kids and parents have legal remedies. They know who to approach. But our daughters are also equally vulnerable. But I doubt if the authorities would take our complaints seriously should something like this were to happen in a municipal school. That is why many don't even report crimes. The fear of social stigma runs deep even now," said Tele, whose daughter studies in Class 10 of a civic school.

What do kids experience?

"My school has a ground where we practice athletics. In the beginning, there were no inhibitions; we would just change into our sports uniform and go to the ground. But after stepping into middle school and hearing so many cases happening across the country, we become more cautious. I also feel a little scared at times when the changing area or the alley is completely isolated. I think the ‘New fear unlocked' phrase get a little more real when we hear more and more cases of assault at school," said Sanaya Pathak, who studies in Class 7 in a school in Noida.

"It's not just about the school, but who accompanies us to competitions and picnics also matter. I wouldn't trust anybody apart from my teacher to be honest. Sometimes you do feel uneasy when certain non-teaching staff members accompany us for school events outside the premises," said a Class 9 student of a school located in a prime area in the national capital.

Authorities speak

One of the most fundamental steps that schools can take is to conduct thorough background checks on all employees, including teaching staff, administrative personnel, and support staff. These checks should go beyond basic verification and include criminal record screenings, reference checks, and previous employment history.

"If parents have any complaints regarding any staff member, we ask them to approach us and assure them of further inquiry. We do not wish any child to ever feel unsafe in school," said Swati Pradhan, the vice-principal of a school in Nagpur.

Schools that fail to report any incident of abuse will be several punished, said a senior police officer from Kandivali police station. "It is a crime under POCSO to hide such incidents. Schools are bound to report sexual or any other kind of offence on their premises. Strict action will be taken against the management and they will be arrested if it is discovered that an act of abuse is hidden from the authorities," said the officer, who did not wish to be named.

What must be done to prevent these incidents?

Students must be taught about the signs of abuse, said Rabia Rizvi, an educationist from Delhi. "Even when we teach students from the lower economic strata, we make them identify ‘Good Touch and Bad Touch'. It's one of the basic steps towards child safety. Schools must also have a grievance cell similar to the ones at workplace so that students can confide in someone if they go through any abuse," she said.

On Monday, Maharashtra Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar said that along with CCTV cameras, panic buttons must also be installed in schools to immediately alert the authorities in case a child is attacked.

Seven years ago, a Class 2 student was murdered with his slit throat in a prestigious Gurugram school. While the authorities picked up the bus conductor initially, he was later released and a 16-year-old student of the same school was held for the murder. The probe revealed major lapses on the part of the school. Seven years later, students, especially those in smaller classes continue to be sitting ducks for heinous offences to take place. While several mechanisms are in place, the fact remains that going forward, many amends have to be made to ensure that schools provide a safe environment for kids.