Rape survivor shares tale of grit

KOLKATA: On International Human Rights Day, a teenage rape survivor spoke about her inspiring story at American Center, while Altamas Kabir and Chittatosh Mukerjee spoke about the state’s responsibility of guaranteeing and strengthening of human rights for a better society at a seminar in Bhowanipur Education Society.
The teenager from South 24-Parganas is striving to survive. She is determined to shield her child from the incident that has scarred her for life but cannot because she is reminded of it daily.Her son was born of a pregnancy that followed rape four years ago. If the rape and the pregnancy weren’t traumatic enough, she was cast out by the family that felt shamed by the rape, as though it were her fault.
But she has borne it all with fortitude. She refused to marry the rapist and completed a beautician course to sustain her son and herself. She was supported by NGO Jeevika Development Society. The rape survivor recounted her gritty story with candor at the programme ‘The Shame is Yours, Not Mine’ organized by American Center. The issue in focus was provisions for rape survivors and how it is important.
Financial independence was crucial to challenge the obstacle before survivors of gender violence, said US consul general Helen LaFave. “Blame of gender-based violence is always on the perpetrator and not the victim. The survivor cannot be held accountable by anyone,” she said.
“The society looks down upon a rape survivor and shuns them from all walks of life. What would such a person do if she wanted to return to school and resume normal life?” Dolon Roy, executive director of Jeevika Development Society, pointed out.
In a seminar organised by West Bengal Federation of United Nations Association (WEBFUNA) and supported by NGO Faces, former chief justice Altamas Kabir said: “Human rights was guaranteed in our constitution and the inspiration was drawn from the preamble of United Nations. Human rights is not an issue of a day but it should be followed and observed in every aspects of daily life”.
Justice (retd) Chittatosh Mukherjee stressed the need of the state’s intervention to enforce human rights in our daily lives, but mentioned that states occasionally play the role of the oppressor. Former MP Bikram Sarkar, former foreign secretary Srinivasan Krishnan, WEBFUNA secretary Sitaram Sharma and Imaran Zaki of Faces were also present on the occasion.