All names of survivors and their family members in this article have been changed by DW to preserve anonymity.

Minors, especially girls, are often targeted by sexual predators in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. In a small countryside town, DW met with the family of 6-year-old Masoom, who was raped in broad daylight by a 27-year-old man.

Her mother Fatima recalls the horrific day: "I was cooking, and her grandmother was washing dishes. We didn't hear a thing. My daughter was reading an Urdu lesson in the shop attached to the house, playing as she did every day. She came inside crying and told us a man had come and taken her pajamas off. She was bleeding from her private parts. We understood what had happened. He had threatened to kill her if she made any noise."

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Now, Masoom is terrified of men, including her own father.

"My daughter is so innocent and smart, yet this happened to her. She was in the hospital for over two weeks. She's scared of her own father now. She refuses to sleep next to him," says Fatima.

Her grandmother Sultana is worried about the long-term impact of the assault.

"She used to be so full of life and joy. That brightness has disappeared from her face since the incident. She hardly eats, and whatever little she does eat isn't making her strong. I don't want any other girl's life to be destroyed like hers," Sultana says.

Masoom's story is not an isolated case. According to new UNICEF estimates, over 370 million girls and women who are alive today across the world have experienced rape or sexual assault before the age of 18.

Her family's search for justice ended........

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