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The case of a 5-year-old girl in Delhi, who was kidnapped and raped repeatedly for 48 hours by two men, has shocked India, yet it is just one among many such attacks reported recently. The Rev. Dominic D’Abreo, spokesperson for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, said: “We are very sad. The whole country is in shock. These episodes ruin the name and image of the nation. People of every religion are shocked and protest. The government and [nongovernmental organizations] are making efforts to eradicate the phenomenon. It is urgent to work on awareness in society at the grass-root level, not just at a high level. Everyone must take responsibility.” According to the Asian Centre for Human Rights, almost 50,000 such attacks on children were recorded between 2001 and 2011, reflecting a 336 percent increase between those years in the number of attacks reported and verified. Father D’Abreo said the phenomenon indicated “a culture that relies entirely on money, pleasure, power” that has neglected the value and the profound meaning of human life.

This article appears in May 13 2013.