Atrocities against women have been happening in Kerala for a long time, but more awareness and a vigilant civil society have contributed to the surge in reporting of such cases, Director General (Prisons) R. Sreelekha has said. She was speaking after inaugurating Nervarakal, a cartoon exhibition highlighting atrocities against women, organised by the Kerala Press Academy.
“Cartoonists and artists can represent with a single stroke, ideas that would take up a whole book. Some of the cartoons displayed here throw up new ideas in tackling these issues,” she said.
She said she had recently conducted a study in the State’s jails on cases charged under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and found that those who were convicted were few in number.
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“However, there were quite a few under-trials. Now, slowly more convictions are happening. For this, we have to thank the media and a vigilant civil society,” she said.
Works of thirty-three cartoonists are on display at the exhibition at the Press Club. A striking one depicts a young girl walking along a city street at night, with the buildings around shown as having prying eyes. One cartoon is a commentary on recent discussions on paedophilia, during which attempts were made by a few to support paedophiles.
Another cartoon shows the helplessness of the police in some of these cases, held back by money and muscle power, and political influences of the accused. There is criticism of the voyeurism of the media in some cases too.
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