Rapists and kidnappers prey on kids in Delhi slum’s ‘forest toilet’

NEW DELHI: About 66 children from a slum cluster in the Capital didn’t return from a nearby forest where they had gone to answer the call of nature because their

NEW DELHI: About 66 children from a slum cluster in the Capital didn’t return from a nearby forest where they had gone to answer the call of nature because their shanties lacked lavatories.

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They were among 171 children who went missing in the forest near Shahbad Dairy, a slum in outer Delhi, between December 2013 and March 2015. More horrifying is the fact that five children — four of them below 10 — were killed; 28 girls have been raped and another 17 sexually abused.

Saksham, an NGO, arrived at the disturbing figures by analysing RTI replies for missing children of the slum during the 15-month period.

There is not a single toilet for the 500 families living at Shahbad Dairy, forcing every resident to rush to the adjacent forest to defecate, where children and women become vulnerable to attacks.

Overcome by fear, residents have stopped feeding their children after sunset — an ineffective attempt to prevent nature from calling at night.

“We have no choice but to ask our kids not to eat after evening. We have seen cases where children did not return after going to the forest to relieve themselves,” said 45-year-old Raj Kumari, a resident of Shahbad Dairy. “We are always tense… there have been cases of women being dragged into the forest.”

Middle-aged Sarita, who has been living in the slum since 1986, vouched that the area was crime-free until a year ago. But not anymore.

“My daughter-in-law doesn’t go there alone … she was harassed by men a few months ago. My grandchildren are underweight but at least they are with us. We don’t feed them at night for their safety,” she said.

Soha Moitra, the regional director of CRY, an NGO for children, warned that the practice of skipping meals could lead to long-term health problems in children. “It is shocking that children go to sleep hungry not because of lack of food but because of lack of toilets.”

Women too skip dinner at night. At times, men guard women and children in the woods.

“Our husbands cannot be with us all the time. There is no toilet in the 2km area and despite requesting authorities, we don’t see any hope. We have complained to police but they react only after a crime is committed. There is no sense of security at all,” said Khushboo, a slum resident.