In a disturbing case that has shocked the nation, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of the trafficking, sexual slavery, and brutal exploitation of a 17-year-old Adivasi girl from Odisha’s Dhenkanal district.
The victim was allegedly lured with a job offer, trafficked to Uttar Pradesh, and subjected to nearly two years of repeated sexual assault, captivity, and forced abortion before she managed a daring escape.
According to media reports that triggered the NHRC action, the minor girl from the Kankadahad area, along with three other young women, was taken to Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh under the pretext of employment. Instead, she was confined in a house for nearly three months and repeatedly sexually assaulted.
When she became pregnant, she was allegedly forced to undergo an abortion without her consent. Later, she was sold to another person for ₹50,000. The ordeal reportedly continued for almost two years until she escaped with the help of a local lawyer and reached the Jhansi police.
Despite recording her statement, the Uttar Pradesh police reportedly did little beyond providing a train ticket back to Odisha. Upon her return, Odisha police registered her statement, but the victim and her family have received minimal support or rehabilitation so far.
Taking serious note of the grave human rights violations highlighted in the reports, the NHRC has issued notices to the Director Generals of Police of both Odisha and Uttar Pradesh, as well as the District Magistrate of Dhenkanal. The Commission has demanded a detailed report within two weeks on the status of investigation, action taken against the accused, and the rehabilitation and support provided to the victim.
“This case, if true, represents a blatant and horrific violation of human rights, particularly of a vulnerable tribal minor,” the NHRC observed. The Commission has sought specifics on the current status of the probe and measures taken for the victim’s safety, medical care, and reintegration into society.
The incident has once again spotlighted the alarming rise in human trafficking of young Adivasi girls from Odisha to other states under the guise of jobs, with many falling prey to organized sexual exploitation rackets.
Activists have called for stronger inter-state coordination, stricter monitoring of placement agencies, and immediate victim-centric rehabilitation protocols.
The NHRC’s intervention brings renewed hope for justice, but the coming weeks will reveal whether the authorities treat this as a priority case or yet another forgotten file.
