‘Trauma from rape never fades from the mind’

News of the 20yearold Kuki gang rape victim breathing her last on January 10 mdash still waiting for justice more than two years after the horrific assault amid raging ethnic clashes in Manipur mdash has stayed with us She succumbed to illness allegedly linked to the trauma which included multiple injuries to her vital organs But the worst damage was invisibleHer mother Lhingnei Haokip told the media ldquoFor the last two years she lived in constant fearrdquo The 20yearoldrsquos tether to life began to fray as she started vocalising the shame that survivors go through ldquoShe used to tell me that she did not want to live anymore Once she told me that everyone knew what had happened to her and that she felt extremely vulnerable because of itrdquo added the grieving motherLess than a fortnight before the Manipur victimrsquos death yet another survivor of a brutal gang rape fought for justice at the Supreme Court One of her assailants former BJP MLA Kuldeep Sengar sought suspension of his sentence in the case related to mdash also convicted for the custodial death of her father mdash sought suspension of his sentence in the death case The SC refused to provide this relief to the former lawmakerSeen protesting with the Unnao rape survivor outside the top court was antirape activist Yogita Bhayana who is the founder of People Against Rape in India PARI The fact that this is the first time India has been introduced to the term ldquoantirape activistrdquo is telling of the timesAccording to the National Crime Records Bureau NCRB an average of 81 rapes take place every day in IndiaSurvivorsrsquo trauma extends far beyond physical pain says Bhayana ldquoNinety per cent of the problems are psychosomatic because victims have no outlet to vent We have worked with victims of sexual violence who recovered physically but could never go back to their old selves But with the right support they can heal morerdquo NCRB data from 201819 also shows that only 30 per cent of rape accused are convicted This percentage has not changed a lot through the years mdash a fact Bhayana is very aware ofFor the Unnao rape survivor seeing the men back out on the streets mdash Sengar was briefly granted bail while his coaccused was acquitted mdash caused severe trauma says BhayanaldquoThe first trauma is the assault itself But even after you heal from that the mental trauma remains in our memory like a fresh wound The major issue is that most canrsquot share it with anyone and let it out of the system Sharing the pain helps a lotrdquo she addsLoved ones and wellwishers can feel helpless and not understand what they can do Bhayana explains ldquoActually you donrsquot have lsquodorsquo much apart from actively listening to the survivor that in itself is considered healingrdquo Bhayana recently started the PARI helpline for women and children to call in if they face any sexual abuse ldquoThere are no governmentrun helplines so I started one But I am unable to promote it because of lack of money and resourcesrdquo she says Right now the helpline is manned by just women ldquoThey are not counsellors We donrsquot currently want experts My team is there to just listen to yourdquo she saysChildren form a considerable chunk of the callers says Bhayana adding ldquoIf a child is telling me about abuse I have to go above and beyond We have the responsibility to report it to the policerdquoBhayana hopes to hire someone to look into the legal side of these calls soonAt the moment they get 1520 calls per day on average They sometimes also have to weed out fake calls ldquoIn some cases the woman wants the man to be punished for not marrying them But I donrsquot want what I am doing to be diluted so we go case by case and follow our instinctrdquo she addsIt is harder to assure the survivors of justice when Bhayana herself is going through a crisis of faith in the judiciary ldquoPersonally I donrsquot have faith in the system So itrsquos hard for me to convince someone else but I do my bestrdquo she says with a wry chuckleThe most crucial thing is to give survivors support ldquoEncourage them Say that you are there for them Tell them they have your full backing They need reassurance to rebuild their confidence and thatrsquos what we give them through the helplinerdquoPeople Against Rape in IndiaCall them91 987111918891 7800000265Time 10 am to 8 pmEmail them yogitapariindiagmailcomparihelp88gmailcomofficeyogitabhayanacom15Average number of calls the PARI helpline gets daily from women and children81Avg no of rapes in India every day Source National Crime Records Bureau