Save me, help me get out! An unheard midnight cry of a victim girl forced into prostitution at a brothel in Mumbai, India

India: February 28, 2010, (PCTV Newsdesk)

Tears rolled down from the eyes of 15 year old Pooja, as she expressed her interest to come out of the brothel to an Undercover operative (UO) on investigation in a brothel in Mumbai red light district on February 25, 2010.

Acting on information provided to Indian Rescue Mission (IRM), by a confidential informant about minor girls in prostitution, an UO was sent inside brothel Garden alias 307 at Kamathipura red light area at the midnight of February 24, to verify the provided information.

Local pimps surrounded him on his way into the brothel with a promise of good girls for sex, but refusing, the UO got inside the brothel and asked for other girls. The Manager brought out well-dressed innocent girls for customer viewing. Among them UO saw a terrified, depressed girl. Paying money to the Manager, the UO engaged the girl and took her inside the sex room -- a move which was part of investigations, but with strict instructions given not to have sex.

Pooja thought of him as an usual customer desperate to have sex, but seeing the disinterest he showed made the girl more comfortable and hence she began to open up. She began to sob bitterly and requested him to help her get out from the bondage of musclemen at the brothel. Her words in Hindi were "Muje bachhao please, Aapka bada Upakar Hoga Muja par, Muje mere Ghar jana hai". (Save me please, I will be grateful to you, I want to get back home). Promising he would help her come out, the UO made his way out of the brothel.

From information obtained by the UO, it became known that Pooja was trafficked from West Bengal state and was sold to Mumbai's prostitution flesh industry hub Kamathipura, one of the biggest red light areas in India, and was kept in a place where she was guarded by strong musclemen who do not allow her go anywhere from the brothel.

The UO reported the same information to Indian Rescue Mission, an organization that works for the rescue of minor girls forced into prostitution in India. The Indian Rescue Mission, in coordination with two other social organizations and Mumbai Police, rescued Pooja from the brothel, along with three minors and 11 older girls on February 26, 2010.

Three people have been arrested in connection with this case, the manager, a pimp and a room boy.

The rescued girls will be placed in the Government protective home for further rehabilitation.

For further details and to sign a petition to end child trafficking visit the Indian Rescue Mission website at: http://rescuemissionindia.weebly.com  You can also e-mail them at indianrescuemission@gmail.com 

News source: www.assistnews.net