Five people, including the mother, brother and ‘husband’ of a girl have been arrested on charges of forcing her into prostitution and raping her in Mumbai, the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra.
According to police, the girl’s mother forcibly married her off to a man in April 2018 although she was underage, the Indian news magazine India Today reported.
The current age of the girl is unclear right now. During the ‘marriage’ the girl faced physical and sexual abuse by her husband which led her to return to her mother’s home. However, that did not prove to be safe, as she was hoping.
A Mankhurd police official told India Today: “After few months, her mother took her to a pimp who forced her into prostitution.”
The girl lodged a complaint against the accused on Saturday night.
According to the girl, she was forced to have physical relations with a 60-year-old man in exchange of money. The husband of the pimp she was introduced to also sexually assaulted her, added the official.
Distressed, the girl sought help from her brother who, according to her, raped and threatened her with a sword.
A case has been registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for rape and unnatural offences, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act (PITA) and Child Marriage Prevention Act.
The 60-year-old man is yet to be found by police.
India dangerous for women
India is the most dangerous country in the world to be a woman, according to a 2018 international survey published by the Thomson Reuters Foundation. The opinion survey with 550 experts on women’s issues found India to be the most dangerous nation for sexual violence against women, as well as human trafficking for domestic work, forced labour, forced marriage and sexual slavery, among other reasons.
