10-year-old girl kept as domestic help in Gurgaon, rescued

The Gurgaon police and officials of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) rescued a 10-year-old girl, working as a domestic help in Ardee City on Wednesday. The police said the girl had bruises all over her body.

The Gurgaon police and officials of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) rescued a 10-year-old girl, working as a domestic help in Ardee City on Wednesday. The police said the girl had bruises all over her body.

The police said the girl, from Gaya district in Bihar, was working for a couple living in Ardee City for the last two and half years. According to the police FIR, her employers, who work in a private firm in Gurgaon, allegedly started beating her six months ago.

They brought the girl to Gurgaon after her family borrowed Rs20,000 from them for her sister’s marriage. The couple gave her family the money and, in return, asked the girl to work for them for five years. They also promised her family that they would send them her monthly salary of Rs1,500. But, for the last six months, the couple had not sent the money nor allowed the girl to speak to her parents, officials said.

On Wednesday, the girl ran to one of the families living in neighbourhood. She complained to them about the couple. She also said they used to make her do all household chores — sweeping, washing utensils and packing lunch for them. After hearing the victim’s ordeal, the neighbours called on childline number, 1098, and lodged a complaint.

A team of police officers and officials of the Gurgaon CWC reached the spot and recorded the girl’s statement. A case was registered against the couple and a woman named Manjo, who the CWC suspects is a child trafficker.

The accused have been booked for cruelty to child and child labour under Section 23 of the Juvenile Justice Act, Section 370 of the Indian Penal Code, Section 3 of the Child Labour Act and Section 16-17 of the Bonded Labour System.

“We had received a call from one of the neighbours that a girl had approached them for help. They said the girl was working as a help and complained that the couple she was working for had been beating her. She also said she was overburdened with work. Officials from the CWC and police reached the spot and rescued her,” said Shakuntala Dhull, chairperson of CWC Gurgaon.