A minor Pahariya tribal girl, identified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribe, from Jharkhand who was trafficked to Delhi from Agra to work as a domestic worker was rescued after her employer informed public authorities and NGO Shakti Vahini. The girl’s family and panchayat head reached Delhi to accompany her back to her Jharkhand village on Wednesday.
“A few years ago, an older girl in my village asked me to go away from the village. I had never left home before and realised later that they had brought me to Agra,” recounted Sonali, in her late teens. “The employer in Agra beat me regularly almost every day. Then after a year, Pinky brought me to Delhi,” she said.
He Delhi employer’s relative, Rajiv Ratan, an Inspector with the Delhi Police, informed the Child Welfare Committee and Shakti Vahini that the tribal girl appeared to be a minor and trafficked.
“She appeared scared and it seemed she had been trafficked. I tried to track her local police station, but she could not recall her village name, or even the State she belonged to at first. Then I informed the NGO members. They traced her village to Pakur in Jharkhand and then we contacted officials at the Jharkhand Bhawan,” said Mr. Ratan.
Shakti Vahini’s Rishi Kant said the organisation had rescued more than 70 girls from Jharkhand from January till now.
Mukhiya Narayan Mahto who accompanied the girl’s family said several children from the village left their homes for Delhi and Mumbai to work and had lose contact with their families.
