Girl rescued from forced prostitution in Delhi

A 15 year old girl from Nagpur, India has been rescued from forced prostitution in the Delhi. Her uncle and aunt had met a man called Pappu Singh, a restaurant worker in the capital who said he wanted to marry the girl. He eventually paid the family 60,000 rupees (about $1,350) and they gave him the girl. Singh then allegedly trafficked her to Delhi and forced her to work as a prostitute for six months. She managed however, to contact a local NGO who rescued her and a police investigation has followed.
“Pappu Singh has been married several times. Many such prostitution racketeers could be operating in this region,” said Yashasvi Yadav, SP, Nagpur (Rural).
Police have also arrested the uncle and aunt on charges of trafficking of minors. Meanwhile the girl’s troubles have not ended, as a cousin commented, “When she got married we did not know this would happen. Now she has returned with a bad name, and everyone is blaming her.”
This case underlines the continuing problem of underage marriage in India. It also shows once again that human trafficking is not an immigration issue – many women and children are trafficked within their own country.