A woman who gives birth to a child after being raped at the age of 17 will get government assistance
Panaji: A POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) court has ruled that compensation should be paid to a woman who was raped when she was 17 in 2015 and as a result gave birth to a child. . The woman is to be compensated under the Goa government’s scheme for sexual harassment survivors. The accused is still absconding.
The court said that the crime was very serious and caused mental and physical harm to the victim.
Mental trauma, physical injury, medical treatment, and lawsuits resulted in her dropping out of school and leaving higher education. Durga V Madkaikar said, “The record reveals that the victim had no relation with the offender as the offender was a complete stranger to her and the abuse was an isolated incident.”
The presiding officer of the fast-track special court, (POCSO) in Panaji.
The court said that records show that as a result of sexual assault the victim became pregnant and gave birth to a child which she had to give up for adoption.
The victim said that when her parents and family came to know that she was pregnant, they forced her to leave the house. Feeling helpless, she had to give her child up for adoption. At that time she was only 18 years old. She said that this left her heartbroken and depressed for two years.
She said that she has been suffering for the last six years and needs financial assistance to move forward in life. She also wants to continue her studies if she gets a chance. In addition, she also has to take care of one of her parents who suffers from mental illness. The other parent passed away recently. The victim said, since she could not pursue further studies, she is not able to get a proper job with good salary and she needs financial assistance for rehabilitation and reintegration as she faced physical changes after delivery. And marriage became difficult.
The court said that the matter should be referred to the District Collector, North, for giving compensation within 30 days and a compliance report should be sought.
