North Lakhimpur: Lakhimpur police has rescued a minor girl who was engaged as domestic help in a family in the town.
One Abhiyous Baghowar from Sirajuli Tea Estate lodged an FIR against Marious Baghowar hailing from Rangajaan, who had taken his minor daughter four years ago when she was eight years old.
According to the father, the agent Marious Baghowar gave his daughter to a person from Hindu Mazgaon as domestic help.
During the last four years, Abhiyous Baghowar tried several times to bring back his daughter from her captivity but he was not allowed to see his daughter and was thrown away by her captor.
At last, the helpless father sought help from the police, and finally, the minor girl was rescued by Bogeenadi police and sent to CWC-Lakhimpur on March 11.
This horrifying story of the minor girl who was kept as a domestic help in her minor age of eight reflects the prevailing system of bondage labor in our society which is actually a matter of great concern.
A 16-year-old daughter of Daria Sobor of Koilamari Tea Estate of Lakhimpur district went missing on January 26, 2017, from home and later found that she was trafficked as domestic help.
She was taken to the household of Sangte Cheda, wife of Dacha Bagang of Gohpur Road Tiniali, Itanagar, by Prakash Chaura from Koilamari Tea Estate on the second week of January 2017.
The minor girl was taken to the Itanagar family through a person identified as Kipa Janu from Kakoi village.
The family fixed Rs 2000 as the monthly wage for the girl as domestic help and paid Rs 4000 to her father through Prakash Chaura.
Five years on there has been no trace of the girl despite efforts by police in Arunachal Pradesh and by her family.
Her disappearance has triggered many unanswered questions concerning the unabated trafficking of Adivasi minor girls of this region.
Sending their own children to work as labours and domestic helps to rich families by parents of vulnerable communities living on the periphery of the society has been a major problem of the society, where children are not even safe in the hands of their own families.
Assam has one of the highest rates of child trafficking in the country and it is most prevalent among the Adivasi community also known as the Tea garden community.
The trafficked children are mostly engaged in household works, mining, hotels, and in flesh trade.