Mumbai: A disturbing and shocking case has emerged from the Ghatkopar area of Mumbai where a minor girl, a tenth-grade student, has filed a police complaint accusing her own mother and a male neighbour of forcing her into prostitution. The two people have been booked by the Mumbai Police.
In her complaint to the police, the girl alleged that from April until the day she reported the incident, her mother and the neighbour had compelled her to engage in prostitution as a means of earning money.
The hapless victim had earlier revealed her ordeal to her schoolteacher, stating, “Mom and uncle force me to do prostitution.”
A police officer involved in the case stated that the young girl decided to put an end to her exploitation after the abuse became unbearable for her.
Driven by desperation, the girl confided in a friend about her ordeal and with her encouragement and support she approached her class teacher, to whom she narrated her harrowing tale.
The minor also disclosed that she had once attempted to escape the abuse by running away and staying at her friend’s house for three days. However, upon her return home, she was beaten and immediately forced back into the same despicable act by the two accused.
The teacher was deeply shaken and shocked by the gravity of the girl’s narrative and immediately informed the school authorities about the serious and sensitive matter. Recognising the urgency, the school administration swiftly contacted the local police station.
Based on the complaint, her mother and the man were booked under relevant Sections of Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including 64 (rape), 98 (selling child for the purpose of prostitution) and also Sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. A further investigation is underway in the case.
Given the serious nature of the allegations and the victim’s age, the police have immediately initiated a thorough investigation into the matter.
Though the legal framework surrounding prostitution in India is complex as it is neither completely illegal nor fully legalised, acts related to it, such as sexual exploitation, seducing a minor, running brothels, pimping, soliciting in public, and various forms of trafficking, are penalised.
These related activities fall under Section 2(f) of the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act, 1956, and can also attract punishments under Sections 366A, 366B, and 370A of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. Individuals who are involved in coercing, exploiting, or inclining poor and vulnerable women or minors into this profession are liable for severe punishments under the provisions of the law.
(IANS)
