Rape, torture and abuse: All in the guise of a job

INNOCENCE LOST: Child trafficking industry in India is estimated to be worth Rs 200 crore.

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New Delhi: Child trafficking industry in India is estimated to be worth Rs 200 crore and is run by criminal syndicates. Young boys and girls are lured with jobs from tribal areas, and are assaulted, abused and raped.

In the second installment of this two-part investigation, CNN-IBN brings you the tale of three girls who underwent unspeakable trauma.

Case I: Pramella

Sixteen-year-old Pramella’s story is a heart-breaking one. Lured from her hometown on pretext of employment two years ago, she was raped by Arif, the man who promised her a job as a domestic servant.

"Mein chahti hoon ki Arif ne jo mere saath kiya aur Kisi ke saath nahi kare. Aur Arif ko sajja mille. Unhone mere ko piladiya, mujhe nahi pata tha ki yeh sharab hai ki kya hai. ke phir mujhe nasha charne laga Uske baad pata nahi kya kya kiya (I hope no other girl goes through the torture I underwent. They got me drunk without my knowledge and did whatever they wanted to),” she recalls.

Located by CNN-IBN after a two-month long Investigation, Arif is now in police custody, charged with rape.

For Pramella, the FIR filed against Arif is a relief. But there are thousands of young women and children like her being exploited by traffickers like Arif everyday.

Case II: Trishla

“Mera naam Trishla kindu hai mai Chhattisgarh sey. Mera gaon Lukaandia hai. (I am Trishla and I belong to the Lukaandia village of Chhattisgarh).”

Trishla, a young widow with two children, came from Jharkhand to Delhi in search of work. But she was raped by a placement agency owner Ashok and became pregnant with his child.

“Mere ko dhamkaaya usney mere saath bahut galat kiya. Uski biwi bhi thi. Mai kisi ko bataye bhi nahi. Mere ko dar tha. (He threatened me and raped me. His wife knew all this. I didn’t say a word because I was scared)” she recalls.

Even Trishla's family refused to stand by her. “Bol rahey they bori hoti hai usmai daal key silai karke phek do toh mainey bola ki mere koi galti nahi hai usney zabardasti kiya hai. Sab taiyar ho gaye they mere ko bora mai band kar ke phekney key liye. (They asked me to wrap my baby in a rucksack and throw it away. When I told them it wasn’t my fault and that I was raped, they wanted to throw me away too.)” she says.

Today Trishla is nursing an innocent but unwanted child. She has two other children waiting in her village. “Mere pass gaon mai bhi do hai bacchey. Pati bhi nahi hai toh isko dekhu ki dono bachhi ko ghar pey dekhugi? (I have two children waiting at home. Who do I look after now?)” she asks.

Case III: Susri

Susri shows us the marks from beatings received from her employer over a period of four months. She is 14.

“Roj peet ti hai, roj maarti hai. Safai sey kaam nahi karti hai karkey bolti hai. (She beats me daily and says I don’t work properly)” she says, referring to her employer.

Susri told CNN-IBN that she was once even attacked with a knife.

And here is the Government's take on the problem. “We are now going to legitimise and license them properly so that women know and they don't have to be exploited like this. I think women who are going as maids elsewhere its high time employers give them provident fund as well as their health insurance,” says Minister for Women and Child Development, Renuka Chaudhary.