Child (Arushi's) Help Line

Child(Arushi’s) help line

I’ve been following “Arushi double murder “story in the papers since it appeared in the newspapers first. It really drives a chill down my spine to think that a child can be so vulnerable in his/her home. First it angers me to think that the Noida police messed up the whole investigation by not looking at the in a professional way, secondly, even though CBI was entrusted the case it is taking them so long to unfold the mystery. I ask one simple question. Had the case been of a high and mighty’s daughter, would the fate been the same? The very fact that the CBI is turning the whole locality inside out in search of the murder weapon, after so many days is very ridiculous to me. Do you think a cold blooded murderer (as the culprit appears to be) would leave his weapon behind at a natural place for the police to come and recover it? Why are they not looking at the odd places, eg? It might have been immersed in the Ganges along with arushi’s ashes, when the parents left in a hurry the very day for her last rights. That is just one probability.
One question that keeps disturbing me off and on, is, Even if the parents are not directly involved, are they not liable for punishment for not providing a safe haven for their child. We wouldn’t hold them responsible had Arushi met her end somewhere outside her house, but while sleeping inside her own house, someone coolly comes, murders her in a most ruthless way and quietly walks out, and the parents are sleeping in their air-conditioned bedroom, without even getting the slightest hint of it, is simply incomprehensible.
After this incident, I’m ashamed to say I feel very paranoid letting my teenaged daughter sleep alone in her bedroom. I walk down several times to her bedroom at night just to see she is sleeping peacefully. You may laugh at my condition but this is how these strange incidents impact different minds. Had the case been solved meticulously, and the culprits given deterrent punishments, my treatment of my daughter would have been different.
But the fact is till the case is solved many along with me would keep on getting sleepless nights.
Another point which bothers me after this incident is, why don’t we have a child helpline number in India? I always assume that had there been such a number may be the parents could not save Arushi but the police could have saved her. In India we have animal protection right, protection of endangered species rights, prevention of cruelty to animal’s right etc., but do we have so many protection rights for our children in this bad bad world? Do we ever think that children are gradually becoming an endangered species? The gen next doesn’t believe in having children (you can see the no. of dinks around) and those who have them do not have enough protection rights for them. Esp. after Nithari killings and many such incidents ,and with no speedy trials, we are forced to think that we are gradually becoming very careless towards our children. A society which does not develop soft skills for handling children will in the long run turn out to be a world full of heartless but rich people, and will perish ,as we have seen in history of roman empires moghuls etc .
When someone from states once told me that in America a child is made aware of his rights the very day he attends school,( his teachers teach him to dial 911 in case of any threat) I had sneered at the idea. But today I feel that, that is one the most sensible self defence right America has given its children.It may be misused, but then at least we will not have Arushis being sacrificed at the alter of modernization.