Trafficking Ring Exposed After 12-Year-Old Rescue in India

A Bangladesh-born girl is rescued from a prostitution network in Gujarat after months of abuse, highlighting ongoing child exploitation.

Trafficking Ring Exposed After 12-Year-Old Rescue in India

A 12-year-old girl, who ran away from home after failing a school subject, was smuggled into India with help from a woman she knew. She was taken to Nadiad in Gujarat and forced into prostitution, where she faced continuous sexual abuse for about three months. She was freed on July 26 following a joint effort by a local advocacy group and the anti human trafficking unit.

Police say 10 people have been arrested so far as investigators work to dismantle the network and protect other at risk children. Activists note that rescues are crucial but only the start of a long recovery path that requires medical care, safe housing, and long term support. The case also ties into broader data from Child Rights and You showing a dramatic rise in sexual violence against minors in India, including nearly 40 000 cases of child rape and sexual assault in 2022 and a 96 percent rise since 2016.

The case shows how cross border trafficking networks prey on families that feel cornered by poverty and fear. It also reveals the limits of local protection, even when police and NGOs cooperate. A sustained push is needed to break the networks and to provide survivor centered care that goes beyond the moment of rescue.

Public policy must focus on prevention, faster investigations, better border cooperation, and long term support for survivors. The data from CRY underscores a broader crisis, with a sharp rise in violence against minors and tens of thousands of cases in recent years. Stronger systems are essential to stop these cycles of abuse.

Highlights

Sustained action is needed to turn rescue into lasting safety.