Amid games, studies and TV, 10-year-old Rohtak rape survivor pines for mother

A 10-year-old girl who was allegedly raped and impregnated by her stepfather is receiving counselling at a care home in Haryana after undergoing abortion at a Rohtak hospital about two months ago.

“When she first came here, she would either cry or ask for her mother. But now she has mingled with other children here and spends her time playing with them and watching TV,” said the superintendent of the care home that houses 22 children.

The rape survivor, daughter of a migrant labourer from Bihar, who quit studies at the age of six, now sits for classes by a private tutor at the care home every evening.

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The child was found to be 18-22 weeks pregnant by a medical board of a Rohtak hospital. After the court left it to the hospital to go by the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, doctors decided to abort her foetus as it was less risky than delivery.

After her abortion, the child was not handed back to her mother as authorities said the woman was more interested in the release of her rape-accused husband from jail. She has not visited the care home so far to meet her daughter.

“Haan mujhe yaad ati hai (yes, I miss her),” the child said when asked about her mother. “Woh nahin ayi hai mujhse milne (she has not come to see me).”

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Raj Singh Sangwan, chairperson of the child welfare committee (CWC) in Rohtak, who is at present the official guardian of the child, said they had written to the CWC of the Bihar district from where the child’s family hails to see if anyone was interested in adopting her. However, the Bihar CWC has not replied yet.

“We have no idea what her mother is doing. She has not bothered to contact us to know the whereabouts of her daughter,” said Sangwan.