{"id":1668,"date":"2016-05-16T22:33:14","date_gmt":"2016-05-16T22:33:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=1668"},"modified":"2016-05-16T22:33:14","modified_gmt":"2016-05-16T22:33:14","slug":"four-year-old-accused-committing-sexual-assault-delhi-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=1668","title":{"rendered":"Is a Four-Year-Old Even Capable of Committing Sexual Assault?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

P<\/span>arenting.com will tell you that the developmental milestones of a four-year-old child are as follows: They are learning to express their emotions using gestures, noises, and drawing things besides speaking clearly, and learning to write their names. Four is also when playtime is sacrosanct for them; they\u2019re running, hopping, playing catch, and climbing trees and furniture with equal ease. A typical four-year-old is also said to have a greater attention span, can walk up or down the stairs without help, understands instructions, and could be anxious about starting pre-school.\n\nAt four years, no child is equipped to use their logical reasoning skills to differentiate the lines they\u2019re not permitted to cross. Their worldview is instead shaped up by what they are told, what they hear, and what they see around them. It\u2019s essentially a time when a child begins the process of learning and understanding — but can we hold them responsible for their actions at this delicate age? For instance, around this time, kids often start lying, or end up mistakenly hurting their friends while playing, actions considered completely normal in their development. Actions, that don\u2019t generally accompany a motive.\n\nBut, what happens when that same four-year-old is accused of something as grave as <\/p>sexual assault<\/a>? Do the rules still stay the same, or can we label the child a criminal capable of heinous crime? Is the four-year-old even aware of the extent of the hurt his actions have caused?\n\nYesterday, a news headline accusing a four-and-a-half-year-old boy of sexually assaulting<\/a> his classmate within the premises of a Delhi school<\/a> sent shockwaves across the country, with initial reactions ranging from unfettered outrage about the negligence of the school authorities to grief for the victim\u2019s pain. But amid all the noise, there seems to be one question plaguing everyone\u2019s mind: Is a four-year-old even capable of sexual assault?\n\nAccording to an open letter<\/a> written by the victim\u2019s mother, the boy had unbuttoned her daughter\u2019s pants, touched her bloomers, put his finger inside to touch her private parts, and kept on hurting her as no one was around. He allegedly also sharpened a pencil and inserted that in as well. In their complaint, the parents of the victim have further alleged that the incident happened both inside the classroom, and a washroom, in the absence of the class teacher and the school ayah.\n\nOn their part, the parents worried<\/a> about their daughter\u2019s safety and appalled at the lackadaisical attitude of the school authorities<\/a> have demanded that the boy be expelled<\/a> from the school, besides asking for the sacking of the principal, class teacher, and the school counsellor. Based on their complaint, the police has filed a case of rape against the accused, but are believed to be carefully contemplating their next step, since the minimum age of criminal responsibility stands at seven.\n\n

But, what happens when that same four-year-old is accused of something as grave as sexual assault?<\/blockquote>\n\nSection 82<\/a> of the Indian Penal Code states, \u201cNothing is an offence which is done by a child under seven years of age as he is at such age presumed to be not endowed with a sufficient maturity of understanding to be able to distinguish right from wrong.\u201d This provision also clearly states that the reason anything done by a child under seven years of age is not considered an offence is because it lacks criminal intent. A four-year-old is not capable of comprehending the nature of sexual assault, which, by extension, means it can\u2019t be adjudged as a crime.\n\nBack in 2011, a similar case rocked Wisconsin<\/a>, when a six-year-old boy was accused of first-degree sexual assault for allegedly playing \u201cdoctor\u201d with a five-year-old girl. The victim\u2019s mother had found her in the boy\u2019s yard \u201cwith her skirt and underpants around her ankles and the boy sitting underneath her, penetrating her with his finger.\u201d When asked, the girl told her mother that they were playing \u201cbutt doctor\u201d. The two were unaware of the nature of the act or its repercussions, something that they considered only play.\n\nAt the time, the judge had made a very necessary evaluation: How can we determine that a six-year-old is capable of committing a criminal act, especially when it involves behaviour that experts claim are normal for children that age? As numerous parenting websites<\/a> on the internet and experts observe, pre-pubescent children being curious about their bodies fall under the purview of healthy childhood sexual behaviour<\/a>.\n\nExploring their own bodies and that of others may range from them touching their genitals, or showing it to other same-age children to kissing and holding their hands. In these cases, kids explore their bodies not because they can completely grasp the intricacies of sexual behaviour or the needs of their bodies. They do it because they think it feels good. Studies<\/a> prove how natural masturbation<\/a> among kids is, despite parents and psychologists identifying it as a \u201cdeeply worrying\u201d problem. Keeping all this in mind, the case against the six-year-old in Wisconsin was eventually dismissed, and he was asked to participate in counselling sessions.\n\nA 2010 study<\/a> for the Child Abuse Review, that sought to give an insight into why young kids sexually abuse other children confirmed that these acts are, in most cases, either copy-cat behaviour, or a result of being a victim of abuse.\n\nIt is yet to be known whether the four-year-old boy accused of sexually assaulting his classmate in Delhi, was merely imitating something he had seen someone else do, or if he is a victim of abuse himself. It\u2019s early days yet and the future of two very young children hangs in the balance, so extreme caution and sensitivity is the need of the hour. Let\u2019s hope the system doesn\u2019t let them down.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A four-year-old boy was accused of sexually assaulting his classmate in Delhi recently. Is it even possible for a child to fully comprehend the nature of a sexual act?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":103,"featured_media":1669,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[107],"tags":[3111,3112,1954,3113],"class_list":["post-1668","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pov","tag-4-yr-old-sexual-assault","tag-delhi-kid-sexual-assault","tag-sexual-assault","tag-sexual-assault-delhi"],"yoast_head":"\nIs a Four-Year-Old Even Capable of Committing Sexual Assault?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A four-year-old boy was accused of sexually assaulting his classmate in Delhi recently. 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