When childhood is no longer safe

A three-year-old girl is allegedly sexually assaulted by a school bus driver. A 16-year-old student is allegedly gang-raped inside a moving sleeper bus. These Delhi-NCR cases are chilling reminders that India is failing children and women in their basic right to live without fear. Reports say the teenager was allegedly assaulted by the driver and conductor after boarding a bus at Greater Noida, while the three-year-old allegedly faced assault by a school transport employee in Bawana. Their vulnerability makes these cases particularly horrifying.

Children can be lured, intimidated or trapped where authority and isolation become weapons. The alleged school-bus assault demonstrates why back ground verification and continuous monitoring of those entrusted with children cannot become mere paperwork. Sexual violence is not merely a Delhi problem but a national social emergency. The sleeper-bus case is especially disturbing because the ve Schools,transport operators should conduct rigorous police verification, psychological tests of drivers.

Vehicle reportedly had multiple traffic violations and non functional safety systems. India already has stringent laws. The problem also lies in prevention, enforcement, investigation, supervision and social accountability. Schools and transport operators should conduct rigorous police verification, psychological screening and periodic re-verification of drivers, attendants, guards and support staff. School buses need functioning CCTV, GPS, panic buttons and visible interiors. Private buses with safety violations should face suspension rather than merely fines. Children must be taught, age-appropriately, about bodily autonomy.