MUMBAI (BN24)— A 12-year-old girl from Bangladesh has been rescued from a prostitution ring in western India, where police say she was sexually abused by more than 200 men over a three-month period.
Authorities said the child fled her home after failing a school exam, fearing her parents would be angry. She was allegedly lured by a woman she knew, smuggled across the border into India and sold into the sex trade.
Investigators said the girl was first taken to Nadiad in Gujarat state, where she was repeatedly exploited. She was freed July 26 in a joint operation by the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Mira-Bhayandar Vasai-Virar police, working with the Exodus Road India Foundation and Harmony Foundation.
Police have arrested 10 people in connection with the case and are seeking others believed to be involved. “This girl has not even reached her teenage years, but her childhood has been stolen,” said Abraham Mathai, founder-chairman of the Harmony Foundation.
Mira-Bhayandar Vasai-Virar Police Commissioner Niket Kaushik said all resources are being used to dismantle the trafficking network and identify other victims.
Child rights advocates say the case underscores the dangers faced by runaway children and the need for stronger prevention measures. India recorded nearly 39,000 cases of child rape and sexual assault in 2022, according to Child Rights and You, marking a 96% increase in child sexual violence from 2016 to 2022.
