TRIBAL INNOCENCE ONCE AGAIN EXPLOITED

TRIBAL INNOCENCE ONCE AGAIN EXPLOITED

Alok Prakash Putul
Chhattisgarh
Earning livelihood , working outside for woman is always harsh and fullof hurdles whether a metropolitan woman or a tribal woman.
The cases of sale of girls, from the tribal areas of central India beingallured to employment in metros state of Chhattisgarh has snatched the sleeps of state govt. From different parts of the state incidents of sale of girls and making them bonded labourers in metros are coming in light continuously. Out of these girls, many have been liberated by interference of govt. But a NGO has charged that still about 7,000 girls of Chhattisgarh are bonded in Delhi, Mumbai and other states of the country. In Bilaspur, Jasjhpur and Sarguja districts of the state lots of > cases ofabduction are registered and the figure is continuously increasing. Some people are even arrested in this matter, but this process of enticing the girls does not appear to come to an end.

Exploitation
There has been a long tradition of labour migration in the state. Thelabourers of Bilaspur area have been going to Delhi, Punjab, Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh even earlier. Several times, the news comes of making these labourer bonded. The bonded laborers in thousands have been liberated. But in last few years various such groups have become active in theChhattisgarh who are enticing the girls of tribal areas and taking them out of the state in the name of providing employment. Afterwards such matters have come in light, in which the girls taken fromhere were either sold by mediators to someone for just a little amount or were bonded. These girls were physically and financially exploited too. The surprising fact is that the girls who are taken out of the state, mostof them are minor. But the poor parents who handed over their daughters in the hands of these groups for their better future are now moving here and there in search of their children. Missing 11 year old Taramani of village Parsapani of Bilaspur was taken to Delhi ayear before by a mediator named Pitrus Kerketta. Pitrus assured the mother of Taramani, miss Nihorabai that he would provide her the job of nurse in a hospital there. As nurse she would get Rs. 3000/- per month. A labourer Nihorabai came under talks of Pitrus, who had taken variousgirls out of the state many a times even earlier and sent her daughter Taramani with him. But thereafter no news of Tara has ever been received. In search of Taramani and Pitrus he went up to Delhi and Bihar but could not trace her daughter anywhere. Nihorabai says, do not know where my daughter will be ! My eyes havelonging for her. In greed of Rs. 3000/-, I have lost the star of my eyes. But some girls are such whose parents brought them to the housesuccessfully. Mahadeo Tirkey 13 year old daughter Manisha and Rajnath sdaughter Mayanti were also taken to Delhi by Pitrus Kerketta where they were engaged in a replacement centre as household servant. But afterwards they were tortured in different manners. When victim of sexual exploitation, these two girls informed their family members anyhow about their exploitation then they were rescued with the help of police. Manisha says, “what happened there, dont ask. We remained a bird of cagethere. We were shown good dreams, but we were cheated. Now I would never go to Delhi for job.

Future

Santosh Singh Chauhan, who runs a placement agency in the Delhi wasarrested in charge of enticing the girls of Sarguja. Suganti and Fulkunwar of Kachhardih village of Batoli rescued from his clutches are more angry from Govt. than to placement agency. Suganti says, Why we went to Delhi, in this regard, why Government doesnâ think. Before rescuing from the work there. government should have any work at our home-village?Subhash Mahapatra running an NGO, FFDA, requested the Human rightsCommission to interfere in this matter, then Human Rights Commission sought reply from Director General of Police and State Chief Secretary in this matter. Subhash says, We are continuously getting complaints from rural areas, but it is surprising that police is sitting quite after formalities in most of the matters.On the other hand, Ramvichar Netam, Home minister of the Chhattisgarhstate says that wherefrom the complaints are received, the police immediately takes action. As per Netam, police moved to metro cities every time in search of these girls and caused to set them free.Netam says, “for last many years, such matters are coming forward. We tryto immediately proceed on the matter whenever it comes in our knowledge. But many times, the members of concerned family dont co-operate the Govt