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Rutu Ladage
An adventure lover and philosopher, her affair with words began at a young age. You can find her scribbling away at all odd hours of the day (and night) and if not with her head buried deep inside a b ... Read More
Human trafficking is still rampant in India and despite great efforts to save children and females from the clutches of such terrors. Women are treated like objects and traded everyday. There have been movies made on it, documentaries created but the problem is deeper than we think. There are child marriages conducted not only in rural areas but even in cities. Sometimes, in place where people think the crowd is ‘modern’, ‘literate’ and ‘open-minded’, that is just where all such activities flourish and the people hide under the guise of normalcy. Even in urban areas, girls are treated cruelly and ill treated. Domestic abuse is also not new.
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For 13 year old Rani (name changed) from Rajasthan, life was like a Cinderella story. No, not the dreamy fairy-tale but rather, the Grimm Brothers’ real life version. However, there was no prince charming there to save her from misery. There was only a tyrannical husband. Rani was born in a small district of Rajasthan for unfortunately for the little girl, her mother passed away when she was very young. Her father soon remarried and she then had to deal with a step-mother who hated her and two step-sisters who abhorred her. She was often neglected by the family. However, unfortunately for her, her father too soon passed away leaving her with her step-family. The family now had no one to help them earn their living. Enter Rani.
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Selling women for paltry amounts is extremely common in the poorer regions of society. Girls are often treated as a burden and are sold off to brothels or to men for cash and also, to make matters easier. Rani’s step mom did just that. She sold Rani off for Rs 50,000 that first time (virgin girls generally demand a higher price in India) but then, the second time around she got greedy and demanded nearly 10 times more at Rs 5.80 lakhs. After selling the girl twice, she decided to get rid of her forever. Enter, 35 year old Lachharam Kriparam Chaudhary, a Mumbai based trader. He ‘bought’ Rani, all of 13 years old and decided to ‘marry’ her, all for the fat amount of Rs 6.3 lakhs. But then, child marriage is illegal. So what could they do then?
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The girl’s step mother got a fake affidavit made declaring Rani to be 20 years old, thus, well over the marriageable age. She even got it notarised. After the “wedding” the couple moved to Nalasopara in Mumbai where Rani’s husband opened a grocery shop. Then, Rani’s life shattered as the constant string of physical and sexual abuse commenced. She was given absolutely no freedom and had to pander to her husband’s every whim and fancy. Some of the tales narrated burned the ears of even veteran policemen. She was not allowed to leave her room and kept locked in there all day. She continued to bear the atrocities for 10 months post which, she heard her husband striking a ‘deal’ for Rs 15 lakhs and realised, she was once again about to be sold.
But by now, the little girl had had enough. She did not want to be caught in this constant web and knew that she would ultimately end up on the streets or worse if this continued. She one day, when her husband was out of the house, she somehow made her way out and ran to the nearby police chowky where she narrated all the happenings and the atrocities committed on her. The police acted quickly and nabbed her husband who revealed everything. It was common practice in their state to buy and marry minor girls and then sell them off to others. It was a chain. The police are now looking to nab the step parents of Rani. The girl has been sent to clinic for tests where her age has been determined to be 14 years. She will be put under care soon, once the culprits are nabbed.
Main Image Credit: TOI
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