Four Victims Treated as Accused?!

The four victims (left) and the brothel keeper after the rescue

On March 3, our team received a lead for a minor being sexually exploited at a

private brothel in an apartment in Naini, an industrial town in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. The police were occupied due to a recent religious pilgrimage in UP, so we were unable to schedule a rescue together. When we tried again after a few weeks, the police were unavailable due to another major religious festival in the town.

Finally, on March 17, the police and our team raided the brothel, which was located on the sixth floor of an apartment. We rescued four victims, including two minors and two majors. The police arrested a female brothel keeper. 

After the police completed collecting incriminating evidence from the brothel, the victims, the accused, and our team proceeded to the police station. At the police station, unexpectedly named all four victims as accused and booked the victims along with the brothel keeper. The two majors who were recorded as accused were sent to jail along with the brothel keeper. 

The two minors appeared before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB). After our legal team and advocate shared our arguments before the JJB, the JJB transferred the two minors to the Child Welfare Committee, who ordered for them to be placed in a One Stop Centre.

Our legal team is making every effort towards the police releasing the two forced major victims who are still in jail. One minor victim was released back to her parents. Our team is still trying to obtain information about the other minor. Our legal team is working towards all four victims being recorded as victims and not accused.