When a despairing Rajni* ran away from her home in the Northern Indian state of Bihar she did not imagine that her life would become even more catastrophic. Initially, she was comforted by a very “nice” lady onboard the train, who soon convinced Rajni to accompany her to her home for Rajni’s well-being. This turned out to be the beginning of her turmoil as she was then surrendered to a stranger who forced her into domestic servitude and eventually pushed her into child sexual exploitation. Soon she met three other girls who were being exploited in the same manner and were similarly lured on a false pretext. Two minors just like her and one adult were trafficked from different parts of Bihar and forced to solicit customers for the brothel managed by a team of perpetrators.
The ordeal came to an end in June 2019 as they were rescued by a proactive team consisting of a JVI partner and local authorities. A decoy was planted as a potential customer which helped the team to arrest all six perpetrators and raid the brothel facility. The anti-human trafficking unit and police found incriminating evidence such as used male contraceptives, steroid drugs, a large amount of cash and suspicious medicines, etc. The JVI team assisted authorities with recording online testimony of 17 eyewitnesses which proved to be crucial during the trial. Based on the testimonies and the other evidence all six perpetrators were convicted of seven years in prison and levied with fines.
They were convicted under The Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act (ITPA), and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO). Online testimony of survivors was made possible due to the efforts of JVI’s Justice Hub partners who initiated a pilot project of video conferencing with the Supreme Court. The pilot project began during the pandemic and was eventually turned into a country-wide ruling by the Supreme Court.
The four survivors are receiving support through JVI’s aftercare program. Rajni and her friends continue to move on and heal from this tragedy. Today they are free and have hope for a better future.
*name changed for confidentiality
