Indian Brothel Keeper Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison

A female brothel keeper who forced teenage girls to suffer rape, torture, and have abortions has been sentenced to 10 years in prison in India, according to a Christian nonprofit fighting human trafficking.

International Justice Mission announced in an update earlier this week that the brothel keeper, who wasn’t named, masterminded a cross-border trafficking network where teenage girls were lured from Bangladesh and forced into sex work in Kolkata.

“The victims were lured to migrate to India because of their impoverished conditions,” said IJM’s Saptarshi Biswas. “They were trafficked into India under the promise of jobs.”

The nonprofit helped police rescue two girls in January 2012 who shared their horrific stories.

“Both victims underwent intense conditioning periods, which includes brutal psychical violence, torture and rape until they obliged to be active sex workers. One of the victims was forced to have an abortion and take steroids to gain weight,” Biswas explained.

The brothel keeper was sentenced on Monday to 10 years in prison, which is the harshest punishment for such crimes under India’s penal code, and fined the equivalent of $1,500.

IJM noted that it helped the girls return to Bangladesh in 2014, and supported them with rehabilitation and healing.

Sex trafficking remains a huge problem in India, with both Christian and secular nonprofits calling for greater attention on the widespread problem.

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Source: Christian Post