Court relief to trafficked Kandhamal girls

The Delhi High Court has come to the rescue of a 16-year-old girl, a victim of the 2008 Kandhamal violence, who was trafficked to the capital along with her elder sister and two other young girls.

Last month, a combined team of the All India Christian Council (aicc), Human Rights Law Network and the local police had rescued the girls from Rohini, Delhi.

The local police reportedly refused to register a complaint against the abductors who sexually abused the girl and forced to work without any pay.

Taking note of the lapses by the police in tackling the case, the Delhi High Court issued a notice ordering the four girls to be produced before the court.

According to Madhu Chandra, Public Relation Secretary of the aicc, the girls were sold off to a placement agency called "Sakhi Maid Bureau" at Ratla village in Rohini where they were sexually abused and raped for six days by the owner.

Later, one of them was sent to work as domestic help at a house in Sector 11, Delhi under a one year contract. There she was sexually abused by members of the family. She bears the marks of biting and nails on her body.

After her rescue on Aug. 9, the 16-year-old Jyoti (name changed) narrated, "I was brought to Delhi with promise of a job by two known ladies from Kandhamal. I was abused, beaten, assaulted and threatened for six days by the members of the family where I was sent to work."

Apparently, when the rescue team went for formal registration of First Information Report, the Station House Officer of Prashant Vihar Police station, Rohini refused to take the complaint saying no rape was committed.

The matter was then taken to the Additional Commissioner of Police who also made empty promises of looking into the matter.

Chandra says Jyoti still remains traumatized while her mother wailing for the second daughter who is still under the custody of same placement agency.

Human Rights Law Network has filed a writ petition due to the police inaction. The network of lawyers and social activists have been providing legal help to victims of communal violence in Kandhamal.

Last month, the National People's Tribunal (NPT) on Kandhamal, expressed grave concern over the trafficking of Kandhamal children, mainly for "labour, sexual exploitation and abuse."

Though there are no consolidated data on the number of children being trafficked post violence in the district, the tribunal said it had come across several such instances.

Members of the tribunal headed by Justice AP Shah, former Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, urged the National Commission on protection of Children Rights to investigate and take preventive steps in this regard.