7-year-old servant girl rescued in Capital

A seven-year-old girl, employed as a servant by a couple in Delhi and severely tortured by them, has been rescued, a child rights NGO said Thursday. HT reports.

A seven-year-old girl, employed as a servant by a couple in Delhi and severely tortured by them, has been rescued, a child rights NGO said Thursday.

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According to a statement by Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), the NGO which helped in the rescue of the child, the girl was brought to Delhi from her hometown in Bihar by her employer on the pretext of helping her lead a more fulfilling life.

"However, once she was here, things changed drastically. She was made to work in the house from day to night and hardly given anything to eat. Out of hunger if she ate a biscuit, she was severely beaten. Once the employer's wife also burnt her hand by placing a hot spoon on it," the statement said.

"On the night of April 5, the girl was again tortured and she was wailing helplessly. Hearing her cries, the neighbours called us and we in turn informed the police. She was then rescued from there," it added.

Her employer and his wife were arrested and booked under Section 23 of the Juvenile Justice Act. They have now been released on bail.

"However, since this was also a case of child labour we have demanded that the child should receive rehabilitation package under the Child Labour Act and the Bonded Labour Act," the NGO said. The girl was brought before the Child Welfare Committee Wednesday.

"Cases of young girls being brought to cities to work as domestic helps and exploited are becoming very common and the law enforcement agencies must be more vigilant about this. Before this, we rescued four other girls who were brought from Jharkhand to Delhi," the NGO said.