After seeing my daughter as a baby, my ex boss advised: "She's a very charming girl. Don't send her to neighbors' houses." Cute and pretty children will have more people wanting to pet them. Soon after we moved into our new flat, we had a neighbor, a lady with teenaged two sons and a daughter, who took her home a couple of times to cuddle and play. But my maid must have given her a curt response the next time, because the practice stopped and the family became a little aloof with us.
But I felt a little curtness was okay to safeguard your child in these dangerous times. When I read about a mentally challenged little girl being raped by her neighbour, I wondered how the parents let her go just like that. But I guess one can't be too careful and parents often let their guard down or trust people they interact with often.
In the light of the horrific rape and murder of 8 year old Asifa in Kathua, we as parents need to be more alert about the wolves around our Red Riding Hoods. It's not possible to remember Asifa's innocent face without tears and a shiver down through one's spine. What makes the crime doubly horrible is the fact that it's a premeditated act to drive out her community from a Hindu majority area. How devilish can humans get - I'm sure the devil will object to the comparison for even he plays by rules.
My daughter does not want to return to India to live now. I hope the rape culture we seem to have in India these days changes by the time we have to bid UAE goodbye.
No comments:
Post a Comment