There have been absolutely no instances of any judge male or female kissing a child on the lips, other than Papon.
There is a practice all over South Asia of not just judges, but uncles, aunties, family friends, and even parents themselves pulling cheeks or ears, kissing on the cheeks or forehead, and giving tight hugs even when a child squirms in displeasure. This is how affection is expressed to kids in South Asia. Ideally, we should never show affection to a child when they don't want it. It instills the value of consent. But there is no idiot who will call out this genuine show of affection as assault. Except for some people who are using this as an example to give Papon a free pass.
Now I admit that a peck on the lips is not always romantic. Gestures of affection vary by culture. Many middle eastern cultures greet each other with a peck on the lips. Some families too greet each other or show affection with a peck on the lips.
That being said India is a culture where a kiss on the lips has always been affiliated with romantic affection. It has always been a no zone. There is body language too. It wasn't an accident where he tried to kiss her cheek and she turned causing an accident. Papon came on very forcefully. He deliberately held her face, turned her to him and landed the kiss. I can forgive the girl and her friends for believing it is a genuine and innocent show of affection. Teenagers are easily swayed. I remember being naive and dumb when I was a teen. But adults defending his actions are sickening.
Let's not forget even in cultures that accept peck on lips this would be unacceptable. The Middle Eastern Peck on the cheek is for people of the same gender and age. It would be blasphemy if an Arabic man kissed a teenage girl on the lips. In cultures where lip pecks are a display of familial affection, the peck is limited to a close family circle. A stranger would not have the right to that display. In addition, it's also a two-way street. Grabbing a face to kiss it would be considered assault by even their standards.
I get that people may find it difficult to digest what happened. I know that its easier to think its innocent affection rather than abuse. Abuse is a can of worms no one wants to deal with. And I know that people might feel they are protecting a child from being mired in an abuse controversy. But you could be enabling a serial abuser in the process. You could be giving someone a free pass to escalate from touches and kisses to more intimate acts.
You know, I am open to have licensed psychiatrists assess the situation and determine if there is an abusive pattern or its all a genuine mistake. I am willing to admit that my evaluation of the video and situation is wrong. Are Papon defenders willing to admit they could be wrong as well and have experts decide the truth?
comment:
p_commentcount