One Bangladeshi minor girl trafficked to India, now in 'Home' at Kanpur, Uttar pradesh, sexually harassed with slavery. Please rescue & reptriate
Kirity Roy
26 February 2021
To
The Chairman
National Human Rights Commission
Manav Adhikar Bhawan
Block – C, G.P.O. Complex, INA
New Delhi – 110023
Respected Sir,
This is to inform you that one Bangladeshi minor girl from village Singrajan, P.O. Thakurakona, P.S. & Dist. Netrokona, Bangladesh has been trafficked to India in the year 2018 and still now staying in a home of Kanpur namely ‘Nari Niketan Kendra’. After passing of two years the concerned government authority of Uttar Pradesh did not get any respite to repatriate the victim girl to her home land.
Miss Hamida Akhtar (name changed), aged about 13 years lived with her parents Md. Abul Khan and Ms. Aleha Akhtar in the village of Singrajan, P.O. Thakurakona, P.S. & Dist. Netrokona, Bangladesh. She read upto class VII of Thakurakona Rahimuddin High School. Ms. Jarina Akhtar, aged about 48 years, wife of Mr. Lal Mia, residing at village Gopalpur; Mr. Safikul Islam, aged about 30 years, son of Mr. Musrab Ali, residing at village Sahata, both are under the jurisdiction of Barhatta Police Station; Ms. Soma Akhtar, aged about 25 years, wife of Mr. Ershad Chowdhury and Mr. Ershad Chowdhury, aged about 35 years, son of Anich Chowdhury, both are residing at village Bichrakanda under the jurisdiction of Atpara Police station in the district of Netrokona, Bangladesh were the close relatives of Md. Abul Khan and Ms. Aleha Akhtar. These four relatives gave proposal to send Miss Hamida Akhtar (name changed) to Saudi Arabia for better earning. On 14.04.2018 at about 10 am they took Miss Hamida Akhtar (name changed) with them in the name of training for three months in Dhaka. After a few months when the parents want to see their daughter, these four relatives show the picture of Hamida Akhtar (name changed) on the mobile phone and assured that their daughter was doing a good job. But after few months when the parents of the victim girl became stubborn to see their daughter and pressurized upon those four relatives to provide them the right address of their daughter, on 16.10.2020 those relatives told that their daughter is stuck into a jail in Delhi and also they denied to return their daughter.
On 17.10.2020 when the father of the victim girl failed to register a case regarding the above mentioned incident to the Netrokona Police Station, he filed one case to the Ld. Women and Child Abuse Tribunal, Netrokona vide case number 574/2020 under section 7/30 of Women and Child Abuse Suppression Act, 2000 ( Amended in 2003).
On 20.10.2020 District & Session Judge, Women and Child Abuse Suppression Tribunal, Netrokona ordered to investigate the matter and to be rescued the victim girl and submit Investigation report by the Officer-in-charge, Netrokona Sadar Police Station.
On 12.12.2020 based on the order of the District & Session Judge, Women and Child Abuse Tribunal, Netrokona in connection with the case number 574/2020 registered the First Information Report vide Netrokona Model Police Station Case number 17/2020 dated 12.12.2020 and appointed Md. Abdul Salam as the investigation officer of this case.
Here one thing must be mentioned that in the order copy of the District & Session Judge, Women and Child Abuse Suppression Tribunal, Netrokona it is mentioned as order number 01 dated 20.10.2020 but in the First Information Report it is mentioned as based on the order number 01 dated 20.11.2020. Here either the police official of Netrokona Police Station wrongly mentioned the date or in the order copy it was wrongly written. If the order copy is correct then one question must be come that why after more than one and half month passing of the order by the District & Session Judge, Women and Child Abuse suppression Tribunal, Netrokona, the police official of Netrokona Police Station registered the case as First Information Report?
On 25.12.2020 the investigating officer of the above stated case Md. Abdul Salam submitted his report to the Superintendent of Police, Netrokona with a prayer to refer the case to the CID. In the said letter to the Superintendent of Police, Netrokona the investigating officer reported that Ms. Jarina Akhtar, one of the four accused sold the victim girl to an anonymous male person in exchange of money and after that the victim girl was again handed over to one Mr. Raju of Kanpur in exchange of money and the victim girl was trafficked to India. While the victim girl was working as a maid servant in the house of Mr. Raju, she felt in illicit love affair with the cousin of Mr. Raju namely Mr. Asikur Rahman alias Mr. Ashiq and there was physical intercourse between them and as a result she became pregnant. Afterwards the victim girl lodged one case against Mr. Raju and Mr. Ashiq in Kanpur and they were arrested. After few days Mr. Raju released in bail order and Mr. Ashiq is still in jail. On the other side that anonymous person to whom the victim was sold out in exchange of money by Ms. Jarina Akhtar was shot dead by the BSF during the time of illegal Indo-Bangladesh cross bordering activity and the victim is now staying in a home of Kanpur namely ‘Nari Niketan Kendra’
On 18.02.2021 an organization of Bangladesh namely ‘Orthonaitik O Manobik Unnayan Sangstha (OMUS)’ submitted one letter to the Chairperson, Bangladesh Human Rights Commission, Dhaka, Bangladesh for taking necessary action for repatriation of the victim girl to her family members but till date no positive action has been taken in this respect.
Article II of the SAARC convention on trafficking also states that the Convention should “...promote cooperation amongst Member States so that they may effectively deal with the various aspects of prevention, interdiction and suppression of trafficking in women and children; the repatriation and rehabilitation of victims of trafficking and prevent the use of women and children in international prostitution networks, particularly where the countries of the SAARC region are the countries of origin, transit and destination.”
India has also ratified the United Nations Convention on Transnational Organized Crime (UNCTOC) and introduced the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 2013 to stop trafficking. However despite these legislations and international obligations, India is considered one of the hotspots for human trafficking and slavery.
From two years the victim minor girl is staying without her family members away from her home land but the Government of India and the concerned authorities are not at all sympathetic towards the timely repatriation of the victim girl to Bangladesh which resulting in irreparable loss and injury to the victim’s life and liberty.
For dealing with cross border trafficking and to address the various issues relating to prevention of trafficking, victim identification and repatriation and make the process speedy and victim friendly between India and Bangladesh, a Task force of India and Bangladesh was constituted. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between India and Bangladesh on Bi-lateral cooperation for Prevention of Human Trafficking in Women and Children, Rescue, Recovery, Repatriation and Reintegration of Victims of Trafficking was signed in June 2015 but till date in respect of this case the concerned authorities of two countries did not take any steps for the repatriation of the victim girl.
Hence we demand your urgent intervention in this matter to trace out the victim minor girl and repatriate to her own country and own family thereby she will return to her parents and punish the Indian traffickers associated with this case according to the law and also take necessary steps to stop human sex-trafficking and slavery between these two friendly countries.
Thanking you,
Yours truly
Kirity Roy
Secretary, MASUM
&
National Convener, PACTI
--
Secretary
Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha
(MASUM)
&
National Convenor (PACTI)
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