The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) on Monday announced a compensation of ₹25 lakh for a minor who was raped in 2011.
The Women’s Commission said that the initiative had been taken after a mandate by the Juvenile Justice Board, which asked the panel to compensate the girl for a healthy upbringing.
The amount was decided by the DCW after examining the minor’s medical history and the family’s financial condition.
The 11-year-old daughter of a rickshaw puller was brutally assaulted when she was five years old. “On an average, the father earns ₹300 per day and the mother is a housewife. The father informed that he was unable to arrange funds for scans which were due,” said the DCW.
The minor was abducted by an unknown person from outside her house and savegely raped in a nearby park.
“The perpetrator left her for dead and it was only by sheer luck that she survived. She was taken to the hospital with severe injuries on account of the attack,” read the DCW statement.
Rehab programme
Planning a rehabilitation programme for the rape victim and calling her welfare a responsibility of the State, the Commission said, “The trauma often becomes a permanent scar on the survivor’s psyche. Without an appropriate support system and positive coping mechanisms, a survivor may never take steps towards recovery. The support system required by the survivor mandates not just adequate financial compensation but more importantly safeguards to guarantee the child’s empowerment.”
Fixed deposits
The DCW further stated that fixed deposits will be made in the child’s name so that she can use the same for pursuing further studies. “₹3 lakh will be given in cash to the girl to meet her day-to-day expenses. Further deposits will be made for health insurance, medical and nutritional expenses,” the Commission informed.
The DCW will also bear the legal expenses of the minor.
Overcoming trauma
DCW chairperson Swati Maliwal said, “At times it takes an entire lifetime to overcome the trauma of such a gruesome incident. Even though there can be no compensation for such a traumatic experience so to speak, the DCW has decided to compensate the child.”
