Mumbai: Sex Slave Rescued In A Police Raid Writes To PM With An Appeal To Free Others

A 29-year-old Indian woman who was sold into sexual slavery as a teenager has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to rescue thousands of other girls who are trapped in brothels and are raped daily, reported The Hindustan Times.

She wrote a two-page letter in Hindi where she has identified herself as Tavi. In the letter, she has also described how she was duped and trafficked to a brothel in Mumbai into prostitution when she was 17-year-old. She was part of flesh trade for six years before the police rescued her. This letter has made headlines across the country. India has the highest number of enslaved people and has recently tightened its measures to tackle modern slavery.

The letter

“I got help and I was rescued. There were many girls like me there. I didn’t see any of them escape or leave. I have written letter for girls like them,” Tavi was quoted telling Reuters in an interview on Thursday. She also added that these girls are unemployed and they have no scope of employment. They are often lured to Mumbai by people who promise them jobs. She further urged the PM to ensure that there are substantial job opportunities for girls so that they do not fall into such traps.

In her letter to the PM Tavi has also mentioned how she has been lured from her home in Eastern Kolkata into prostitution and was finally rescued during a raid in 2011. The letter was given to the PM on Monday, on the day of Raksha Bandhan.

Many women come from rural areas and are sold into sexual slavery with the promise of prosperous jobs and good marriages. Tavi now works in a garment factory and has said that she has addressed the letter to the PM whom she thinks of as a brother.

She added, “I was a victim of human trafficking and my life was hell. I was beaten and abused and treated worse than an animal. I used to think that I would die in the brothel … Even now there are many women trapped in brothels. You are a brother to all these women. I request you to protect them.”

The Logical Indian take

There is an overwhelming count of 46 million of sex workers worldwide. Though prostitution is technically illegal in India, by one count the prostitution industry in India is worth 8 billion dollars and has more than two million prostitutes and 2,75,000 brothels. Most of these women are tricked into the profession and some enter the trade to raise money for their families. Violence against women is rampant in this sector. The central act, The Suppression of Immoral Traffic in Women and Girls Act (SITA), 1956, has been renamed as The Immoral traffic prevention Act (ITPA), 1956.

The Logical Indian community salutes the woman who showed immense courage to rescue herself from the plight. A thorough investigation should be conducted to find more about the others who are associated with the racket.The Logical Indian community urges the government, both at the central and state level to take stricter measures to curb trafficking of women in the country.