How are educated girls so easily allowed to get caught in cases of sexual abuse and blackmailing? This question is often asked when a case of sexual abuse or blackmailing of a girl comes to light in the media. But this is the wrong question. The right question should be that she was not trapped but was framed—by a conspiracy, a system of exploitation, and a nexus of silence. In this case, not only is the girl guilty, but also the society and the system, which, instead of making her safe and sensitive, taught her only to “be careful.”
Ajmer incident: A dark chapter
Whenever Ajmer is mentioned in cases of sexual exploitation and blackmailing, it becomes necessary to mention the gang rape incident of 1992. The Ajmer gangrape incident of that time shook the whole country when people with political and religious influence, and especially those associated with the dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, were trapping thousands of school and college girls. First they were trapped in the trap of love, then they were blackmailed by taking their obscene pictures. Many girls even committed suicide due to this incident.
But now, 30 years later, a similar scene has come to light in Ajmer once again. This time, hundreds of girl students have been blackmailed through social media, Instagram chats, fake profiles, and videos. The police have arrested several boys, including minors.
What has changed in these three decades?
There has definitely been a change in the level of education and awareness of girls these days as compared to 30 years ago, but do we still feel that incidents like Ajmer could have been avoided? Are we able to take adequate steps to keep girls completely safe? Do serious questions not arise about safety in schools and colleges even today?
The silent tracks of parenting
Often when a girl is sexually abused, the question arises as to why she allowed this to happen. Was she at fault? But the reality is that when girls are taught from childhood to “stay away from boys” or “you can make mistakes,” they grow up in fear that if something happens, who will support them? This fear and silence makes them victims of criminals. If they are taught that “it is not your fault, you deserve protection, and you have the right to ask for help,” then perhaps they could overcome these situations.
Educational institutions: There are books, no compassion.
Our schools and colleges have become mere educational institutions where education has only one purpose—to get results based on marks. These same institutions have no sex education, no gender sensitization classes, and no mental health counseling facilities. Girls not only need self-defense education, but they also need to understand what can be the signs of abuse in love and relationships. When the response to girls’ complaints is, “You must have done something, then she made the video,” it is like ignoring the seriousness of the problem.
Social media: The modern hunter’s gun
Social media and chatting apps have opened up new avenues for criminals. What happened in the new Ajmer case revealed the modern digital predator. Using social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and WhatsApp, first false love relationships are created, then intimate chats and videos are made, and finally the process of blackmailing and exploitation begins. The biggest problem in this is that girls are emotionally vulnerable on these platforms. They see these as a safe, secret relationship, and then the criminals break their trust.
Hypocrisy of society
When girls excel in their studies, they are applauded. But as soon as they befriend a boy or become active on social media, they are labeled as “loitering” and “spoiled.” After incidents like Ajmer, society asks the same question—”Why did you trust me?” When the question should be the reverse—”Where was the security system in your school and college?”
In our society, girls are educated in only one direction, that is, “be careful.” But are girls also taught how they can protect their rights? Don’t we need to understand that preparing girls to “defend themselves” is not only their personal responsibility but the responsibility of the entire society?
Silence of police and administration
During the Ajmer gang rape case in 1992, the police and administration suppressed the case due to political pressure. The same is happening now—many accused are not being named, and minors are getting recourse to the Juvenile Justice Act. Is this the system we should trust? When the police and administration remain silent, incidents of abuse and rape are suppressed. The same is happening in today’s colleges and schools, where there is no guarantee of safety.
In cases like Ajmer and Kota, it also came to light that girls were trapped through social media, chatting apps, and fake profiles. When online communication starts, it starts to feel like a ‘confidential relationship.’ This trust is exploited.
It is not a crime for a girl to trust, fall in love, or talk to someone. The crime is when someone exploits this trust, blackmails her, and forces her to live in humiliation. In such cases, we should not blame the victim but ask, what was the security system in that college? Why did the school administration not know? What did the police and administration learn from previous incidents?
What is the solution?
The solution cannot come from only one direction. For this, we have to make the education system, society, police and administration, and media aware at every level. First of all, we have to make sex education compulsory in the school curriculum. Counseling and digital safety training should be given in colleges. Cyber helplines and rapid response units should be established for women in every district. Along with this, the media has to stop blaming the victim, and there should be a fair investigation of old cases.
Ajmer’s students were educated, but they were unaware of social silences and digital dangers. We have to accept that education should not only teach degrees; it should also teach security. And upbringing should not be just to make obedient but to make struggling and aware citizens.
Our daughters do not get trapped; they are trapped—and as long as education remains limited to marks, these predatory traps will continue to be spun again and again.
Author is a Research Scholar in Political Science
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