The Pihu Stories #1: The Day She Was Believed

 Part of the series {The Pihu Stories: The Verdict at Home}

This is the story of Pihu. When she was in 8th class, she and her sister went to their relatives' home for a few days during winter vacation. As normally seen during the winter, Pihu caught a cold. Her Nani gave her medicine to drink, and due to that medicine, she felt drowsy. So, she went to sleep straight after that. While she was sleeping, she felt someone pulling her trousers down. She peeked through the quilt, but there was no one. After a few minutes, she again felt that someone was pulling her trousers down. She sat on the charpai and then looked to the side and found nobody. Then she again went to sleep.

Suddenly, she felt that someone's hand was approaching her and trying to loosen her trousers. She uncovered herself from the quilt and looked down at her charpai. She was shocked to see her cousin crawling there. At first, she was scared, but then she pulled him out, scolded him, and slapped him straight on the face. The next day, her cousin again wanted to sleep in the same room, but she resisted and was successful in not allowing her cousin to sleep in the same room. After that, she never went to that home again.

A few years later, there was a family marriage. Pihu went there, and as expected, her cousin was also there. Everyone was enjoying the party and the marriage. Pihu was tired because she had first travelled a lot and then danced at the party. She thought of taking a nap. She went inside the home and slept on the sofa. A little later, the same cousin came there and saw Pihu sleeping. He unbuttoned the top two buttons of her shirt and then tried to touch her chest. She woke up, saw him standing just next to her, first buttoned her shirt, and then shouted. All of a sudden, her family gathered there. Her family supported her. They broke their ties with her cousin and his family.

What can we learn from this story:

1. Always trust your child, especially your daughter.

2. As we know that men are physically stronger than women, in difficult situations, use your intelligence and voice. Like Pihu shouted.

3. Never be scared of the person who is harassing you, because you are not doing anything wrong. The person who should be scared is the harasser. Like Pihu did not get scared while shouting and slapping her cousin.

Important Reflection

If something uncomfortable happens, try to tell a trusted person as soon as you can. It may help prevent further harm.

But remember this clearly:

If someone could not speak immediately, that does NOT make them responsible for what happened later. The blame is always on the harasser.

In India, abuse of a minor is punishable under the POCSO Act, 2012. Even if the abuser is a relative, the law protects the child. Being “family” is not an excuse.