Delhi: Forced into prostitution 21 years ago, woman appeals for justice

NEW DELHI: When Reshma (name changed) was 13 years old, she was approached by a woman who showed her a shawl with intricate embroidery. The woman then offered Reshma a job as an embroidery artisan at a factory in Delhi.
Reshma who had never gone to school and came from a very poor background fell into the trap. The woman’s enticing promises of a high income and better life made her travel from her native village in Karnataka to Delhi with high hopes.
After Reshma, along with the woman, came to Delhi by train, she was initially taken to the house of the woman’s sister where she was given a new cloth. “They later took me to a beauty parlour where my make-up was done. I thought that we were going to attend a wedding, but to my shock, they took me to a brothel on GB Road. They forced me into prostitution when I was only 13 years old. I was forced to attend 50-60 clients in a day,” Reshma told TOI.
She added that whenever she opposed, the woman and her husband used to beat her up and gave death threats.
Nearly eight months after she was first taken to GB Road, Reshma was rescued by police and sent to her village in Karnataka. Reshma was later approached by the woman on the pretext of marriage, but when she came to Delhi, she was again forced into prostitution.
“I underwent three abortions and later gave birth to a girl who is now nine years old. After her birth, I didn’t even get to see her face for two years. They kept my daughter at their house and she came to stay with me around one-and-a-half-year ago. However, the couple told me that as my daughter is growing up, they will make her join flesh trade,” said Reshma, who along with her daughter managed to escape from GB Road around seven months ago.
She added, “Whenever police raids happen, they would hide us in a small secret room behind a wall or within the floor. It was difficult to breathe there in absence of any ventilation or fan.”
Reshma, who gave a complaint at Kamla Nagar police station on September 2 against the accused, said, “My life has been destroyed as I was forced into flesh trade for 21 years. I want that the accused couple who forced me into prostitution should be arrested.”
Reshma recently narrated her ordeal to Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), which issued a notice to police on Wednesday.
DCW chairperson Swati Maliwal said, “The woman faced horrible conditions and it is the fault of the entire system. Delhi doesn’t have a rehabilitation policy and DCW has been working on it. The commission will try to give a new life to the woman and stop second-generation prostitution. We will seek help from companies and philanthropists in this matter.”
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)