Shillong. Feb. 23: The rape victims of Meghalaya continue to suffer in silence with only their parents by their side to console them and lodge complaints.

The perpetrators of the crime, however, escape scot-free compounding the woes of the victims’ families.

In several FIRs, women lodge complaints against relatives and friends who have raped their daughters.

According to the affected families, on many an occasion the rapists are known to their victims.

There have been instances of minors raping minors or men outraging the modesty of their daughters or niece. Incidents of sexual assault by brothers have also been reported. The age of many minors is as low as five and it takes them years to overcome the trauma. There is hardly anybody to condemn such brutal crime.

According to the 10-year data provided to The Telegraph by the state crime record bureau, there are 120 rape victims registered under 10-year category while there are 141 cases involving minors under the age group of 16. The number of rape victims of below-19 age group category is 163.

As many as 251 rape cases were registered where the victim’s age is below 30, 29 cases under age-50 and four cases above age-50 categories.

According to police statistics, from 2001 till 2009 there were 38 cases of incest with eight incidents of break-ups where the girls’ age is below 10, 10 incidents where the girls’ age is below 16. There are seven incidents of break-ups where the girl’s age is below 19, 11 where the woman’s age is below 30 and two where the woman’s age is below 50.

According to police, there will be a slight increase in such cases in 2010 and the crime department is collecting last year’s data for further analysis and to find a remedy.

A member of the State Women’s Commission said that she remembered the case of a minor who was raped by a neighbour when she was just five and the victim was again raped by the same person when she was studying in Class V.

According to the commission incidents of child rape recorded in Meghalaya is the highest in the Northeast.

The commission said that it was committed to provide counselling to the victims.

In the FIR files in police stations, there were several cases of minors allegedly raping minors. The former superintendent of police, West Khasi Hills, M. Kharkrang, who is currently posted as SP, Shillong City, narrated the case of a boy (name withheld), from West Khasi Hills.

A serial child rapist, he was arrested and subsequently chargesheeted by the police last year for committing the crime on at least five minor girls.

Stray cases of police constables involving in rape cases were also reported in some FIRs.

The worst are the rapes committed on the disabled which also find mention in some FIRs.

The lone woman legislator in the Meghalaya Assembly, Ampareen Lyngdoh, admitted that the cases of rape and incest especially involving minors were alarming.

“The cases of rape of minors and incest indicate that moral values are degrading and there is a break- down of family ties,” Ampareen said.

According to Ampareen who is also the state education minister, the lapses lie in faulty upbringing in the family.

“The children of young and single mothers who are left in their homes after their mothers move out in search of jobs are a vulnerable section and this is taking a toll on society,” Ampareen said.

The minister iterated that the society should stand up against forces which are destructive to the family fabric.

She said the victims and the parents should not succumb to pressure from the family members and friends, but should proceed with the cases to set an example for others.

The minister said that the forensic lab in Shillong is ill equipped to handle several cases and there is an immediate need to fill up the vacancies and send personnel for training.

A case in point is that of a six-year-old minor Monika Biswakarma who was allegedly raped and murdered by six homeguard personnel in 2002. The personnel were released for want of evidence.