Woman jailed for forcing minor into prostitution

A city court has sentenced a woman, who owned a brothel, to 10 years in prison for forcing a minor girl into prostitution.

A city court has sentenced a woman, who owned a brothel, to 10 years in prison for forcing a minor girl into prostitution.

HT Image

Additional Sessions Judge Kaveri Baweja awarded the jail term to convict Haseena for forcing the minor girl into prostitution and for detaining the victim, who was less than 17 years old. The judge also directed closure of the brothel.

“The victim has been held to be a ‘minor’ under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956, and convict Haseena is found guilty of the offences punishable under sections 5(1)(d) (inducing a minor to carry on prostitution) and 6 (detaining a person in premises where prostitution is carried on) of the Act,” the judge said.

He added:”...the above named convict is directed to undergo rigorous imprisonment for a period of 10 years”. A fine of Rs 20,000 was imposed on the convict.

The court recommended compensation to the minor. It observed that while those soliciting or seducing any person for the purpose of prostitution are convicted under the act, their “customers” are not treated as accused under the statute”. The order came on a complaint by the victim, a native of West Bengal, who was rescued from a brothel at GB Road here. The girl alleged that she was brought to Delhi in 2009.