Minor of Jalpaiguri rescued, Gurgaon agency under scanner

TNN Jun 6, 2013, GURGAON/FARIDABAD: A minor girl, employed as domestic help in a household at Sector 15 in Faridabad, was rescued on Tuesday. The girl was allegedly tortured and kept in confinement by her employer.

The rescue operation was conducted on a tip-off from Childline to Shakti Vahini, an NGO and the Faridabad police, along with a member from the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) on Tuesday. A daily diary report has been filed in the case.

During counseling, it was revealed that the girl was working as domestic help for the last five to six years. The victim said she belongs to the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal, and has been working with the present employer for the past four years. She said she was brought to Delhi a neighbourhood woman identified as Kavita, who handed her over to Triveni Placement Agency in Gurgaon.

Since the placement agency that employed the girl is based in Gurgaon, Savitri Dhaka, chairperson, Haryana State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (HSCPCR), has asked the Gurgaon deputy commissioner to look into the matter.

Rishi Kant of Shakti Vahini said the minor stated that the employer as well as his wife and their children used to beat her up. She was often discriminated against by the employer's family. She was never allowed to sit on the sofa and sleep on the bed during these four years. She was also not paid for her work. The girl said she was kept locked inside the house when her employer's family would go out.

"There is a need to formulate a national law on the placement agencies. A lot of them are mushrooming in Gurgaon without any regulatory check on them. Minors are trafficked to Gurgaon and other places through them," Kant said.

Presently, the girl has been accommodated in a shelter home as per the direction of the CWC.

Shakti Vahini has coordinated with the superintendent of police, Jalpaiguri district, West Bengal, who has traced the girl's family. A request has also been sent to the Faridabad DCP and SCPCR and the Gurgaon commissioner of police for a large-scale investigation on the placement agencies.