While our Snehankur adoption center is very well-known for rescuing babies it is often lesser known that we also boldly go to any corner of Maharashtra when we hear a minor girl’s cries for help.
Most recently, we responded to a case in our neighboring Beed district. A 15-year-old girl and her father have come to Snehankur. With tears in his eyes, the dad explained his daughter was between four and five months pregnant. Both were under stress mentally and physically. As they relaxed knowing that help was at hand they explained how the father earned only Rs 300 a day as a porter to support his wife, daughter, and son and how his eldest had son died from a snakebite the previous year.
With no work or school due to COVID, the daughter had been taking care of the family’s goats. This included taking them to graze in the surrounding rural area. One day, a cousin of hers took advantage of her being alone and physically and sexually abused her. The frightened and naive girl didn't really understand what had happened and that she was pregnant, but she did understand his threats of killing her if she told anyone what had happened.
Once she had opened up to our team of what had happened we immediately took her to her local police station where the crime against her was registered. As the details were being recorded, our team and the police started searching for the accused, finding and arresting him a short while later. He was loudly shouting his denials and several activists from the village came to the police station to angrily defend him and demand his release. There was not one person there to speak in favor of the girl. Working with the police, our Snehankur Team, which is always ready to fight for rape victims and justice, was able to register the case and bring the girl to Snehalaya where she is now safe.
Comments