The video tape prepared by the Child Protection Unit would be final. The defence lawyer must see it and then he can cross-question the child only once, irrespective of whether the child has been sexually or physically abused, strictly in an in-camera hearing with a protective partition or curtain placed between the child and the accused. This protective screen is being allowed after being used in a Child Sexual Abuse case in Delhi; no reason why it cannot be used in physical and emotional abuse cases either.

All of this needs to be done. Step by step. Together. Do it simultaneously. Do it separately. Just do it.

And then while all of this is done and working reasonably well, all that would be left to set in place is special children’s courts, Child Protection Court (CPC), just one in each city. A Child Protection Court which would be for the children only, dealing with crimes against children by adults. Just an ante-room perhaps in an existing court, brightly-painted with a smiling judge whose attitude is child-friendly and who appears easily accessible. Who disposes of cases quickly, in a maximum of ninety days. Who dispenses justice for a wronged child.

A Child Protection Court is as important as a Child Protection Unit. Or else everything else done for an abused child turns into a graveyard of good intentions.

Dimple

My five-year-old daughter Dimple came to me a few days back and said the neighbour’s man-servant was ‘trying to do kissy’ with her and she did not like the taste of bidis he smoked, so I must tell him to stop. The child was so assertive, and yet so innocent. Dimple watches a lot of television and perhaps this is where she has learnt to articulate so clearly, though the kids in our building are equally confident creatures. I told my husband about the neighbour’s servant and he dealt with the matter by telling the neighbour to sack the servant.

The neighbour turned around and said, ‘You can either go to the police or deal with the servant yourself, don’t make this our problem. Behetar yahi hoga key aap apni beti ko sambhaal le.’

My husband came back and told me the same thing, ‘We better keep an eye on our daughter.’ And that was that.

Dimple is much too young for me to try and explain things to her. But somewhere, I think, she has already understood that she needs to have a hands-off relationship with men. When she grows up a little, I shall explain to her all that I can about sex and sexuality and body parts. Women should know about their sexuality and how to assert it, I understand this now after reading so many books on the subject. That is why I have no problem at all if my daughter decides to have protected sex before she gets married. I don’t do this myself but I have so many women friends who sleep with younger boys if their husbands don’t know how to bring them to orgasm. Sometimes they do it just for the variety. That’s fine with me, women have a right to their sexuality. I have two unmarried female friends who have decided to be mistresses of married men. If the wives of the married men don’t have the guts to do anything about it, why should my friends deny themselves the love and the security? After all, they are given money too, to run their homes and look good even though they are working women.