As the “me too” campaign against sexual harassment in the workplace hit the headlines on news channels, another story appeared at the bottom of the television screen as a moving news ticker.

Over 30 girls barely in their teens had been beaten up by goons at the Kasturba Gandhi Residential School in Supaul district, Bihar. A scramble to the day’s newspapers revealed the entire story. The young girls reportedly in the 10 to 14 years age-group were allegedly beaten with sticks and kicked after they protested harassment and lewd behaviour by boys from a neighbouring village who also wrote obscenities on their school wall.

Disturbingly, this development and a follow-up are barely visible in the many vocal campaigns to make cities and living spaces safe for all citizens. There are no two ways on the appeal for a safe environment. But in this case, ground zero was a school. A place of education and learning and a place where children should have been safe anyway. An attack on such a place should have had many many more voices speaking in support of the young girls who stood up to their harassers.

Unfortunately, that does not seem to be the case. The girls have only themselves and their families coming out and seeking protection. Just the thought of these young girls going to the same location every day, with the constant threat of violence sends a shiver down one’s spine, especially as we discuss the unseen dangers that lurk. The danger here is out there and visible to the authorities. They should ensure that the girls here and elsewhere are able to go to school without fear. Otherwise the “beti bachao” campaign to “save our daughters” will fall through as girls could drop out of school, if the journey to school and the school itself are unsafe.

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