When trust is violated

Humanity has a few invaluable bonds and the one emotion that has always remained paramount across class and creed is the pure and unconditional affection that a father has for his daughter

The rape and murder mystery of the 15-year-old girl on May 21st night near Vikarabad in Ranga Reddy district took an ugly turn when it was discovered on Saturday that it was her father who was behind the ghastly act and he invented the story of the gang rape to save himself. One is pushed into an unexplained feeling of despair and helplessness.

An utter numbness descends on the mind leaving one thoughtless. Not that such a thing happened for the first time. It has been revealed in many a survey done by different agencies every year that most of the molestation cases, especially those of child abuse are by relatives and close friends which happen in the imagined safety of homes.

And hence the shock element is no longer there. A simple Google search would reveal that across the length and breadth of the nation, there are fathers who ruthlessly rape and murder their young daughters, at times kids as young as 5 years of age. And in each of the cases the culprits take the refuge of liquor.

“It is inhuman,” said the police officer handling the case; as a woman the police official, who might have otherwise seen the worst of the cases, looked stricken when she spoke to the media.Humanity has a few invaluable bonds and the one emotion that has always remained paramount across class and creed is the pure and unconditional affection that a father has for his daughter.

A father, who is her guide, friend and support in times of trouble, is the one she trusts beyond doubt.“How can a father do such a thing to his daughter,” is the question that plagues us each time we hear such an incident and we fervently hope it is an aberration that will not repeat.

However, the increasing number of such cases brings us to a question that we fear to ask ourselves. Are the society and the efficiency of a family unit as a positive impact on the society slowly and surely degenerating? And if it is, then what is the reason – Is it illiteracy? Is it alcoholism? Is it psychological? Is it disintegration of family structure? Disregard for human values? Or is it plain act of a criminal who has no sense of right or wrong? There is much research being done all over the world on why this happens - but no amount of logic can justify a father’s inhuman act.