The Hindu : New Delhi News : Alarm over use of hormonal injections

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Sep 17, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Alarm over use of hormonal injections

By Devesh K. Pandey

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 16. The most alarming aspect of the ordeal of the 12-year-old girl, who was abducted from Jehangirpuri in North-West Delhi five years ago and rescued from Agra recently, was that she was administered hormone injections to hasten her physical growth. The police suspect that many other girls like her are being subjected to similar torture aimed at preparing them quickly for the flesh trade.

After being rescued from Sayeed Nagar in Agra, the victim, who has now been brought to Delhi, disclosed that she and her six-year-old cousin were abducted from Jehangirpuri in October 1999 and taken to Sayeed Nagar where both remained together for only one night. She woke up the next day to find that the other girl missing. She had been apparently shifted to some other location. Still in a state of shock, the victim revealed that her captors would beat her and give her injections (hormone) saying it would make her taller and beautiful.

The use of such hormonal injections for hasty physical development had earlier come to light about two years ago when a very wide network of human trafficking being run by a 43-year-old woman named Chhodamani was smashed in Karnataka.

Investigations revealed that Chhodamani used hormone injections, like decadurobolin, and other medicines for rapid physical development of minor girls to make them more "attractive". Several girls rescued from her clutches had revealed the same thing. A senior police officer said such injections were mostly being used in Thailand and Taiwan for similar purposes.

While such brutal methods to "prepare" minor girls for prostitution are on the rise, recent trends have revealed that more and more minors are being abducted or bought and prepared for commercial sexual exploitation. According to a report on Trafficking in Women and Children in India (2002-2003) prepared for the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), almost 62 per cent of survivors of human trafficking across the country revealed that their commercial sexual exploitation began when they were children. Another startling fact that came to light was that over 73 per cent of trafficked victims had their first sexual experience when they were well below 18 years.

In Delhi, 69 of the 87 respondents disclosed that they had first sexual encounter, mostly forced, when they were below 16 years. The report observed that almost 50 per cent of the trafficked women interviewed across 12 affected States and Union Territories revealed that they had first sexual encounter when they were also below 16 years, of whom 60 per cent said they were criminally assaulted.

During the survey, it was also found that almost 70 per cent of the victims were sexually exploited at the first place of transit, which strengthens the suspicion that after being abducted, most of the minor victims are abused by their captors before being sold off to the flesh traders or for other purposes.

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