Recently a case of a girl I came across, compelled me to ask this question? Let us call her Maya, she is a smart girl, and her aspirations for the future are very natural. She wants to work hard to achieve her goal, has dreams in her eyes, and is convinced that she will make it a reality. When we met, I found her silent stare was very eloquent, she was listening to our discussion quietly, waiting till she was asked to narrate her ordeal.


Spoke about her plight in a few words. Her story disturbed me, despite knowing all the details, her friend too was visibly upset during the conversation. Maya's father probably ( I say probably because Maya too could not spell the reason clearly ) did not want a daughter as the first child. He kept cursing her and gradually started beating her. She has been facing torture, physical as well as mental, for at least the last 5 years, she is in 10th standard and awaiting her results of the board exam. She grew from a small girl to a young teenager. Still, things have not changed.

Now her father insists on getting her married as early as possible. Maya wants to continue her education, get a degree in the field of her liking and be self-reliant. When she expressed her thoughts, this aggravated his fury and he beat her black and blue. When she went to her friend's house, she clicked the photos. The right side of her face was hit badly, it was swollen, and her back showed innumerable bruises clearly. Seeing the photos made her a little uncomfortable, and I did not have the courage to look into her eyes. She filed a complaint at the police station with the help of her friend's mother, her parents were called by the police officer and strictly given a warning.

Father is not happy and her mother too could not stand by her. She knew the fact but was unable to support probably. ( I say probably because we all know how helpless she might be )

Maya's friend strongly stood by her, as we were discussing her friend became emotional, and her eyes welled up, but Maya controlled herself, and she has been facing the consequences. She is really very brave, in spite of her parents being against her, she wants to achieve and attain the goal she set for herself. Her unwavering mind is her strength, though she is just 16 years old, her dream of education and self-reliance seems to be non-negotiable. Her courage at such a young age stunned us.

Some years ago I came across an equally disturbing case. A girl who appeared for the final year exam of professional courses made a strange request. At least it appeared so to those who did not know the background. She had the offer letter and the day of joining was fixed. The company was located outside Pune. There was a gap of some three weeks between her last day of exam and the date of joining. She requested to allow her to stay in the hostel for three weeks, she wanted to shift directly to the accommodation in the city of her work.
Though the request was strange in nature,it was not difficult to make the arrangements in the hostel. When the reason was disclosed to all, it shocked us. It was beyond the imagination of most of us. The rector explained that she always had problems staying with her family. Many times she would go with her friends to their native town and stay with them during the break and hardly spend a few days at home. Always was reluctant to go home or communicate with the parents, though her fees were paid regularly. She was good at her studies too and was selected by a renowned company in the on-campus interview.

When she confided the reason to the matron, the reason she gave was frightening and unsettling. She had been facing abuse and exploitation at home for many years. She tried to seek help from her mother, but it was in vain. Could not get any support and respite. This was her first opportunity to be free from the shackles of suffering and humiliation. Obviously, she was granted permission to stay at the hostel for a time till she moved to the city of work.
When the case of Maya came to me, it reminded me of this old case too. Many articles are written on cases of domestic violence and abuse. One point is commonly noted that most of the perpetrators are known or related to the victims. Though I was aware of the fact, meeting Maya, and interacting with her was not easy. The pain it caused was immense, seeing her photos of a swollen face and bruised back caused severe mental suffering. Could not imagine how Maya sustained it and had the courage to dream.

The hostel girl had been facing mental agony and physical torture but still could pull herself together, which is a sign of her grit and strong character. Then did not have the courage to meet and interact with her because thought that it might unnecessarily open her deep-rooted wounds.

If our girls are not safe at home where else do they turn to get support from? If parents cause such agony, who can save them? Fortunately, there are people or institutions in our society that help in any such difficult situations. Maya is fortunate to have friends and even their mothers who helped her to reach the police station. Her teachers and counsellors also provided the support, but it is very disturbing to see even today a girl child is not welcome in some families. Parents go to this extent to express their frustration. The young boys and girls have nowhere to go in spite of extreme rejection, they are forced to suffer silently in many cases.

If girls unfortunately face abuse who would save them? We as a society need to have many organisations working in society against social evil. Or else our progress and development would sound absolutely hollow.