Crimes on teenage girls- We need a solution!

There are a number of crimes committed against teenage girls all over the world though most of the cases are kept behind closed doors as few of those involve family members like step fathers, brothers, uncles or cousins! Such cases are not known because they are never reported to the police or the local authority. 

Most of the serious crimes are sex related like rape, molestation and defilement. The other crimes may include abduction, and child labour among others.

Teenage girls in less developed or developing countries are more vulnerable to all crimes compared to those in developed countries who are mostly victims of sex related crimes.    

One classic case is the one of a divorced mother with a daughter who sees or marries another man. What happens is the new father doesn’t see this teenage girl as his daughter, and feels an attraction for her. Strangely, the concerns of the daughter does not get much importance from her mother as she would dismiss, thinking that her daughter dislikes her new father. Therefore, the girl either gives in helplessly or is raped forcefully, and such cases are kept under covers in order to save public humiliation for the whole family! 

However, there are ways to counter such crimes, if some cautionary steps are taken. However, government help is generally very limited due to the fact that the statistics or detailed case studies are always not available. However, NGOs can come to the rescue in such situations. The teenage girls should know what threats they could face under different circumstances and be careful accordingly. 

The teens should take their own responsibility, set boundaries and principles to follow such that no one easily takes advantage of them. Since boyfriends are too inclined towards raping, as a teenage girl, one needs to be in position to communicate their views on premarital sex to the boyfriends. 

There must be a self-check on things that can be done, and what cannot be done. Limits on places to visit and time to visit them should also be kept. When going out, group dates are the wisest, and moreover one should avoid being in isolated places alone. There are sprays that one can use to spray in the eyes of the attacker. 

Finally, one should always keep their parents in confidence, and keep them informed about their whereabouts. This might mean compromising on their private space, but it is certainly better than compromising on their safety.