A 17-year-old house help reached her employer’s house in a posh Dwarka society on Monday visibly bruised. She, however, did all the work that she usually does at the house, including taking care of the children.
The minor, the family said, was hesitant to answer when a woman in the family asked what had happened to her.
The woman, who is a doctor, said the girl ignored her question initially, but on being asked again, claimed that her brother had hit her.
On being probed further, the minor revealed that the brother had also been repeatedly raping her for nearly three years.
Approached NGO
“We thought it was our moral duty to help the girl and we did what we could,” said the woman’s father-in-law.
Sources said that the doctor played an important role in the crime being reported. The woman sought help from a local NGO, which further helped the girl approach the police.
The woman’s father-in-law, a senior citizen, said, “If you come to know that your house help has been beaten up or is in an unusual state, do not ignore thinking it is not your business. It is important to ask questions. The person may need help” .
The family said they do not know if she was actually raped. “The police will investigate into the matter, but she was beaten up and that is a crime,” he said.
The girl’s mother, who works as a house help at the doctor’s residence, is away to her village in Bihar.
The girl had been helping the family in her mother’s absence for the past 20 days.
The girl, in her statement, alleged that her brother had impregnated her in 2018 and had got the child aborted. When the girl was asked by the police if her mother was aware of the same, she claimed that she informed her mother that she had missed her monthly cycle.
The mother allegedly asked the victim to ask the brother for help who got her “some medicine”.
Medical examination
The minor’s medical examination has been conducted. When asked if the victim’s mother was aware, the employers refused to comment. The doctor remained unavailable for comment as well.
Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal said, “What they [the employers] have done is commendable and I think more and more people should do this, but it happens rarely because many get scared that they would get into trouble. We will try and help the girl.”
