Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel recently expressed concern over the plight of children born out of wedlock and subsequently abandoned.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony of APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University, Patel said: “Kabhi kabhi ladke ladkiyan bhag jaate hain…koi pregnant hokar pakda jata hai…bachhe ko koi sweekaar nahin karta…uska maa, baap kaun? Sarkar? (Children often run away when their parents are against relationships, girls get pregnant and leave their children to the government to take care of them) as parents neither accept nor In-laws, mothers and abandoned children).
This issue is a major concern and the Governor must have based her statement on accessible data regarding “abandoned children, born out of wedlock, under government care,” even though no government data is available in the public domain.
Patel’s disturbing words highlighted rising cases of sexual assault, as children born as a result of forced physical acts are often abandoned on the streets.
Her statement comes against the backdrop of protests in Meerut in western UP over the killing of a 20-year-old Dalit student and subsequent police abuses against protesters. The victim’s family claimed that she was raped and murdered. Meerut police did not verify the sexual assault charges.
Meerut is located in a district where the BJP’s slogan “Love Jihad” (related to Muslim men who allegedly marry Hindu women to convert them to Islam) has led to electoral gains for the party even though sexual assaults and punishment of rapists do not appear on any political party’s agenda.
The Meerut crime sparked a war of words between Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati and Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) chief Chandrashekhar Azad, who are demanding support for the Jatavs, a sub-caste of Dalits to which they both belong. Mayawati suggested the protesters take recourse to the law while Azad supported the street protests to get justice. Samajwadi Party (SP) national president Akhilesh Yadav, who frequently raises issues related to the Dalit community, met the family members in Delhi.
Clearly, speedy courts for speedy conviction served as no deterrent. According to official data, as many as 2,064 accused have been convicted since July 7, 2023. The total cases identified stood at 5,618. A state government spokesperson said: “Since 2017, (when Yogi Adityanath became president) till April 26, 2026, as many as 33,159 have been convicted in cases of crimes against women and adolescents, 4,655 have been convicted in sexual assault cases, while Another 14,886 were convicted under the POCSO Act.
The way forward
While some observers call for the death penalty to be imposed on those convicted of heinous sexual crimes, political parties have failed to even include the issue of increasing sexual assaults in their election manifestos.
“People vote for their religion, caste and rations,” said a political analyst. “Since elections are not decided by social and gender issues, politicians lose interest because these issues have no appeal. They even vote for rations, not for their own protection.”
Until punishment for rapists is put on the poll agenda, nothing will change even after the implementation of 33% quota for women in state assemblies and parliament. Slogans of women’s empowerment will ring hollow to vulnerable and victimized women.
In the 2022 Lok Sabha elections, for example, the Congress Party nominated Asha Singh from Unnao Sadar assembly constituency. Singh was the mother of an Unnao rape survivor, whose persistence and determination led to the conviction of then BJP stalwart MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar. Ultimately, sect played a pivotal role in determining the elections.
A ray of hope.
Sex education in schools can be the beginning and the way forward.
The UP government recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Study Hall Education Foundation, the first to launch ‘Sexual Relations and Society: A Comprehensive Sexuality Education Curriculum’ in line with the New National Education Policy 2020 in their schools. The gender curriculum will be implemented in government schools after the completion of ongoing training for teachers.
Designed by Zareen Garcia, a certified fertility awareness educator and founder of Pad and Prejudice, and educator Urvashi Sahni, the curriculum focuses on open conversations about sex, relationship, and consent from the early grades.
Sex education, although a slow process, can help students deal with sexual issues. But how can it help in checking sexual assaults? It is time for political parties to reach a consensus on life imprisonment, if not the death penalty, for heinous sexual crimes.
Assembly elections are around the corner and people are demanding the Governor’s intervention – perhaps an all-party meeting can be held to discuss the issue that touches Patil’s heart as well.
