Living in denial: How society ignores the sexual abuse of young boys

In the middle of making her first short film ‘The Candy Man’, which deals with child sexual abuse, Insia Dariwala decided to change the protagonist from a young girl to a boy.

“My journey has always been to produce work which uncovers aspects of society that people may not be aware of; these may be social issues, certain diseases or human drama and relationships,” Dariwala, a film-maker and social activist, told IndiaSpend.

Child sexual abuse is a topic rarely discussed among conservative Indian society, and male child sexual abuse is an even more taboo issue.

As many as 53% children have faced one or more forms of sexual abuse, according to a 2007 survey by the ministry of women and child development of 12,447 children. In nine out of the 13 states surveyed, a higher percentage of sexual abuse was reported among boys than girls.

While the rape of women and girl children in India has made headlines around the world, dominated the national conversation and led to the introduction of harsher penalties and the death penalty for child rape, the reality of men as rape victims and other forms of sexual abuse has not shared the same spotlight.

Actor and songwriter Robert Gene 'Red' West dies at 81

Actor and songwriter Robert Gene "Red" West, a longtime confidant of Elvis Presley, has died in Memphis.

Danita Allen of Memorial Park Funeral Home said West died Tuesday. He was 81. His wife, Pat West, told The Commercial Appeal he died at Baptist Hospital after suffering from an aortic aneurysm.

West met Presley in high school and worked for him for 20 years. He was a friend, driver and bodyguard. He also took small roles in some of Presley's films and co-wrote some songs Presley sang including "Separate Ways" and "If You Talk In Your Sleep."

After West was fired by Presley's father in 1976, he went on to help write a book called "Elvis: What Happened?" The book, published shortly before Presley's death, included details about the singer's drug dependency and unhealthy lifestyle.

West and his co-authors, Sonny West and David Hebler, said the book was an attempt to encourage Elvis to give up his dangerous ways. However, some fans said it was written out of spite because they were fired.

Afterward, West became a full-time actor and appeared on TV shows and in movies. His most famous role was in 1989's "Road House" starring Patrick Swayze.

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Harry Potter at 20: What makes JK Rowling's creation a money making machine

'The wand chooses the wizard, Mr Potter," said Garrick Ollivander to Harry Potter when he visited Ollivanders (makers of fine wands, since 382 BC) for the first time in 1997. Twenty years later, in 2017, a kid does not need to wait for Hagrid to arrive and take him or her to Diagon Alley to purchase their first wands. He or she only needs to pester their parents for it and they can buy it for them, off Amazon. Even an Elder Wand replica can be bought for Rs 1,500. Should a Gryffindor scarf or Hogwarts robes or even a Sorting Hat interest you, they can be easily bought on the internet.

JK Rowling's manuscript had been rejected by eight publishers before Bloomsbury Publishing offered her an advance of £ 2,500 for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the first in the series of seven books. The story goes that Rowling had written the book sitting in cafes in Edinburgh where she was living with her daughter, on benefits. Bloomsbury itself couldn't have known that the book it was publishing would transform not only the company but publishing as an industry.

Established in 1986 by Nigel Newton, Bloomsbury had a turnover of £11 million in 1995 which rose to £14 m in 1997 but thanks to Rowling's books rose to £21 m in 1999. In just two more years, it went up to £61 m in 2001, crossing a £100 m in 2005. It helped establish Bloomsbury as the most important publisher in the children's books category. Scholastic Press, an American publisher bought the American rights for $ 105,000 in 1998, by which time the first two books had been published in the UK. The seven Harry Potter books (excluding the spin-offs) have so far, sold more than half a billion books in 73 languages globally.

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