Why are stalkers not caught?

Editorial

HC directives have not been heeded at all

Fifteen-year-old Lucky Ghosh, a schoolgirl who is fighting for her life in hospital at the time of writing this, was brutally stabbed by a group of stalkers while on her way home at a village in Manikganj. A candidate for the upcoming SSC exams, Lucky was being stalked by this group for the last two months until it decided to attack her so viciously.

It is outrageous that despite strong directives from the High Court and laws that have been enacted to prevent violence against girls and women, school girls continue to be stalked and attacked on a regular basis all over the country. In 2011 the HC recognised stalking as sexual harassment after many young girls took their lives after being stalked. Among the directives, the HC asked the government to include stalking as a sexual offence in the Women and Children Repression Act, set up separate cells at every police station across the country to monitor and deal with stalking cases, make sure the heads of police stations hold meetings on these cases and ensure that appropriate actions are taken; so that such cases are properly tried in court. The court also said that its directives will be considered as law, and mobile courts will deal with incidents of stalking until the government enacts a fresh law or amend the relevant law to stop the crime.

It is obvious that none of these directives have been taken seriously, leaving young girls vulnerable to the whims of these psychopaths. If we really did have separate cells in police departments to monitor stalking, if stalkers were given exemplary punishment, if the police (including higher officials) seriously went after stalkers and took action, how many of these girls would have been saved?

Stalking as we all know, usually happens over a period of time, which means it is not difficult to identify the stalker. So why are we not stopping the crime before it escalates into a fatal attack on a helpless young girl or woman? The government has a huge responsibility to implement the HC directives and protect young girls, whether they are at school, on the streets or at home, from these predators. 

• Courtesy: The Daily Star /Dec 12, 2018