India, Tamil Nadu: Sisters of Charity’s commitment to victims of violence
Sister Johncy Nambikairaj and her sisters care for abused girls and engage in prevention and awareness raising
by Anne Preckel – Vatican City
Survivors of abuse often tell her, “I don’t know why people reject me and now they look at me differently. I’m not accepted. I didn’t do anything.” This is the account of Sister Johncy Nambikairaj from India in an interview with Vatican News. It is often the victims and their families who are stigmatized when people learn of abuse. Sister Johncy is a social worker and works with children and girls who come from poor backgrounds in the Gudalur community, which is located in a mountainous region of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. “Some have suffered various forms of abuse, physical, mental, sexual. We have a home for them, we take care of them and also provide first aid. When they come to us, we offer counseling at various stages,” explains the nun of the Sisters of Charity, called Sisters of Maria Bambina (SCCG), a congregation founded in Lovere, Italy, in 1832.
Social issues in Tamil Nadu
Poverty and neglect are breeding grounds for abuse, says Sister Johncy. “These girls do not have the necessary privacy at home, and then there is poverty. Parents leave them alone because they have to work. Minor girls are abused, such as by neighbors or people who know the family.” Tamil Nadu is one of the most industrialized states in India and relatively prosperous. However, there are social inequalities and problems, such as child labor, malnutrition, unemployment, and abuse.