UP Horror: Minor girls forced to trade bodies for Rs 150 during lockdown

A shocking incident has been reported in Uttar Pradesh’s Chitrakoot, where minor girls from poor tribal families were forced to work in illegal mines for their survival during the lockdown, India Today reported.

Instead of giving money to these minor girls, the contractors and middlemen raped them.

Due to poverty, these girls have to trade their bodies in exchange for their meager wages.

In this region of UP, these tribal girls are not able to attend schools or play merrily because they have their family responsibilities on their shoulders and by working for these merciless contractors, these girls contribute to the household income.

The shocking thing is that the girls aged 12-14 years, who work in illegal mines where their contractors and middlemen force them to sell their bodies for a meager daily wage of Rs 200-Rs 300 only.

According to the report in India Today, “We are helpless, we agree to it. They give us a job, exploit us, and then don’t pay us our wages in full. When we refuse their sexual advances, they threaten they will not employ us any longer. What will we eat if we don’t work? We eventually agree to their terms,” a victim said.

Another girl told India Today, “They threaten us saying we will have to agree to their terms if we want our jobs. We agree. They also lure us with money and at times more than one man is involved in the exploitation. If we say no to their advances, they threaten to throw us down the hill.”

However, parents of these girls are aware of these sexual exploitations of their girls. But they are helpless to do anything as they need money to survive.

Reportedly, the contractors who employ these girls never revealed their real names to girls. Also, they employ them on one condition that they will have to sell their bodies.

According to victims, the contractors have put some bed behind the hill near the mines. The contractors take girls there and sexually tortured them.

A girl who dropped out of school due to poverty told India Today that when they refused to do sexual favour to them then, they beat them. However, they have no other options.

“We feel sad about all this and think of dying or running away,” the girl said.

There is a double whammy of poverty and the months' long lockdown which has hit them hard and also forced them to face such exploitation.

Illegal mines contractors also asked these girls to wear make-up and if they don’t follow their instructions then they ask them what they do with their daily wages.

This reports of India Today has alerted the administration, the district magistrate of Chitrakoot has ordered a probe into the matter. Also, the state government launched an investigation and promised prompt action.

On the other hand, Dr. Vishesh Gupta, Chairperson Uttar Pradesh Commission for Protection of Child Rights, said, “We have taken note of the matter and we will send a team to investigate this.”

It’s really shameful for us that after being living in an independent country, such kind of exploitation is still prevailing in our society.

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