Even as girl trafficking is endemic in the tribal districts in the State, making life horrible for many tiny girls who end up as domestic helps or prostitutes and have to face untold harassment and torture, the authorities have failed to curb the menace.
In a recent case in Gajapati district, a minor girl who was trafficked to Goa by a middleman and had to undergo ignominious treatment like facing sexual exploitation and harassment, was rescued along with her new born child. She was sent to Goa by a middleman on promise of moon and later employed as a domestic help there. She was forced to have sex with the middleman who often ignored her repeated pleas for returning home. However, at long last when they did return to Odisha, the middleman deserted girl who had become pregnant at a railway station and vanished for all time to come. With much difficulty, the girl reached home but by that time her father had died and she had none to look after her and provide here a helping hand.
The victim identified as Krusmita Kandha (16), daughter of Mangaraja Kandha of Jharabandha village under Adaba police limits in Gajapati, was trafficked to Goa in June, 2012 and employed as a domestic help. Middleman Joseph Sabara from Bhalaya Street promised the girl of good education and good job in Goa and managed to win her confidence. Joseph, however, dumped the hapless girl at a house in Goa and cameback Odisha.
After three month Joseph again went to Goa and told the girl that he wanted to marry her. He forced her to have physical relationship with him and gave her medicine to avoid pregnancy.
But when she turned pregnant, Joseph threatened here not to disclose it to anybody. Meanwhile, Krusmita came to know about the sudden demise of her father and begged Joseph to take her back to her home but Joseph threatened to kill her if she persisted with the plea.
The house owner saw their regular fight and gave money and told Joseph to take the girl back to her village. Joseph booked tickets and they both came to Brahmapur railway station. But a few minutes later Joseph disappeared from that place. Somehow, Krusmita reached her village. On September 23, 2013, the girl delivered a baby child in her village and faced the stigma of unwed motherhood. On insistence of the villagers, she went to the Adaba Police Station on October 1 last to file a complaint against Joseph.
On a tip-off, the Gajapati Child line department reached Krusmita’s village and took the mother and the child to the Gajapati District Headquarters Hospital. An FIR was filed against Joseph at the Parlakhemundi Police Station. Paralakhemundi SP Dr Sathyajit Nayak assured that the culprit will be nabbed soon.
Meanwhile, in another case, two female children were rescued by Gajapati Child line recently. Ramesh Malik was trying to take two girls by promising them that he will get them tailoring training. He along with the girls waited at the Mohana bus stop when the Child line workers found something fishy in it. They called police and on being asked as to what he was going to do with the girls, Ramesh could not give a satisfactory answer. The children were rescued and sent back home though Ramesh was not arrested.
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