All India Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien has shared his harrowing experience of sexual molestation at the age of 13 years. Speaking in the Rajya Sabha while participating in the discussion on the bill for amending the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Derek O'Brien urged celebrities, cricketers and people in public life to speak up about such traumatic incidents.
The proposed amendment provides for stringent punishment including death penalty for sexual assault on minors.
The more people speak about the sexual abuse and share their experience with their families, the more are the possibilities of its prevention, the TMC MP said, as he shared explicit details of molestation in which as a kid he was inappropriately touched.
He appealed for taking all measures to prevent the heinous crime against children.
"I would like and urge more people especially in public life, if you have been sexually abused or harassed as a child, please come up and speak about it," the TMP legislator said.
"It's very clear where the abuse starts, it starts at home. People, especially in public life, need to talk about this and start the conversation. The more people in public life that speak about the abuse the easier it will be for children to speak up," Derek O'Brien said in the Rajya Sabha.
"That's what I want to speak about sir, with a lot of pride, and sadness and hurt, I would like to share -- my family knows and I feel India needs to know -- I was sexually molested as a 13-year-old on a bus in Kolkata after tennis practice. Wearing short pants and a t-shirt, I got on to a crowded bus, I was sexually molested. A man ejaculated on the shorts of this boy. I didn't speak about it. We need to use this forum to reach out to people. The more we talk about it the more children will be saved," the parliamentarian said.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Smriti Irani was among the members who praised his courage to talk about the horror.
"That fact that an MP today shared what he faced at age 13...46 years later, tells us what an imprint sexual abuse leaves on a child," the minister said.
The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2019 provides for stringent punishment including life imprisonment for using child for pornographic purposes.
The new law is expected to discourage the trend of child sexual abuse by acting as a deterrent due to strong penal provisions in the Act. It intends to protect the interest of vulnerable children in times of distress and ensures their safety and dignity.
There has been a rise in crime against children in the country in recent years. It is estimated that 1.6 lakh cases of child abuse are pending in states in 31 states and union territories (UTs).
As per official data, about 12,609 rape cases were registered under the POSCO this year.
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Video: Derek O'Brien shares molestation story in Parliament, Smriti Irani praises his courage
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