Sexual abuse

Sexual abuse connotes a wide array of actions ranging from verbal to physical, from passing comments to harassment and rape. The year 2017 was quite active for many women came forward and spoke out about their abuser, the 'me too' movement online also helped to show how common and widespread the problem of sexual predation is. It also highlighted that the abuse transcends age, culture, nationality, religion or sex of the victim as well as that of the predator. It also made certain groups of men as well as enforcement agencies to come forward and stand with the victims and also to pledge support to them. Taking forward from where the last year had started it was but obvious that the world would try to protect its children and girls better but unfortunately the new year began with the horrific rape and murder of a 7 year old. We need to introspect into where we are wrong. It is not the victim who was calling for it. We have come beyond that. We know that victim blaming is the biggest reason why so many victims were silent till they got the anonymity of the internet, to speak out without being judged. Abuse happens everywhere. It is not the lack of rules because we have the laws to punish the perpetrator. What is lacking is the implementation along with the reporting of the crime. Sometimes the guilt on the part of the victim, the family honour, on the other times the coercion or the bribery on the part of the abuser is what it takes to stop a crime from being reported or the investigation agencies from completing the task. We need to speak up but most important, we need to teach our young children about the abuse. We need to teach them not only how to avoid a stranger but also how to stop the advances of a known one because the abuser might be sitting in one's own home. Being open with our children and building trust relationship is what is needed to prevent the abuse of children and teens. While dealing with the abuse of adults, we need to be more acceptable towards what a victim is saying. Combating sexual abuse is a collective duty of everyone. It cannot be done in single day, week or month but there is a definite need that the steps towards preventing it are continuing and not wavering.

Freedom of speech and whistleblowers

The whistleblowers play the role of finding out discrepancies in the functioning of public bodies and report them for the public good. From finding out about tax havens to frauds in democratic process to breach in data security, whistleblowers play the part of finding out the truth and placing it in public domain. Since, the whistleblowers are bringing out sensitive data in the public, they are given certain protections and immunities to ensure that they are able to perform their work without any fear.
The Unique Identification Authority of India filed a FIR against the reporter and the newspaper which was able to determine the loopholes in the data security. Such an act is injurious for the freedom of press and attacks anyone who is serving the public interest by finding out the loopholes in the system. Instead of working on its loopholes and fixing the breaches in its data security system, the authority has filed charges of impersonation, forgery, cheating, using forged documents and under the IT Act. Such an action is an attempt to intimidate anyone who tries to question the functioning of the authority and obstructs free, fair and independent journalism.