The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Tortured minor domestic help rescued from posh apartment

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 27, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Tortured minor domestic help rescued from posh apartment

Sahana Charan

The scald on Poojitha’s hand

BANGALORE: Young, educated, upwardly mobile and living in a posh apartment complex may not necessarily mean one is enlightened and humane.

This fact emerged about the employers of a 10-year-old girl working as domestic help in a flat in HSR Layout.

The child, bearing signs of torture, was rescued by Makkala Sahaya Vani last Saturday. When Poojitha, a native of Andhra Pradesh, came to work at flat W-102, Purva Fairmont, a couple of months ago, she may never have bargained for the torment she underwent at the hands of her employers.

Sensing that the girl was being ill-treated, some residents of the apartment complained to the helpline (1098) and she was rescued amidst much drama.

The girl has been placed in the Girls’ Home run by the State Women and Development Department.

According to a resident, neighbours noticed burn marks on the girl’s arms and hands when she was accompanying her employer’s two-year-old child to the park. When probed, Poojitha, who speaks only Telugu, said that the lady of the house often tortured her, even placing burning camphor on her palms, if she failed to obey her orders.

“She was punished for every small mistake. She told us that she was not allowed to use the toilets in the house and had to go all the way to the security booth or the club house to use the adjoining toilets even in the middle of the night. They were also starving her,” said a shocked resident.

Another resident added that her employers were tenants in the flat and rarely interacted with others. “She was made to do all the housework including cleaning, washing clothes and vessels apart from looking after the baby. She was not being paid any money and she told us that her employers were sending money to her parents.” The apartment residents’ association has decided to put up circulars on all the notice boards in the complex asking residents not to employ children as domestic help and about the consequences under the law for doing so.

According to Shobhana K., Coordinator of Makkala Sahaya Vani, the girl will be produced before the Child Welfare Committee, Bangalore Urban, for hearing on Friday.

“The woman (the child’s employer) created quite a scene when Makkala Sahaya Vani representatives went to rescue her. She shouted at them and tried to stop the girl. The girl looks very malnourished as she was apparently given food once in two days and that too only a meagre quantity,” she added.

Representatives of the Child Welfare Committee told The Hindu that the girl’s testimony will be taken after a visit to the employer’s house to get more details. Later, the employers and the parents will be summoned to ge t their statements. Based on the seriousness of the case, the CWC can lodge a complaint with the nearest police station, apart from levying fine on the culprits if they were found guilty.

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