Farha’s Story: Horrific step by parents, modern day slaves

Hyderabad: Out of poverty and desperation, parents sell their daughter Farah at a very young age. Farah had been rescued earlier this month from an abusive employer who had kept her as a domestic help.

An initial inquiry by the Andhra Pradesh State Minority Commission (SMC) into the case of Farah, the 11-year-old rescued child labour. “Farah has stitches near her eye and many other bruises on her body. She was abused physically and under-fed,” said Abid Rasool Khan, chairman of SMC. He said, “Investigation into the case should be forwarded and the accused must be punished as per law.”

Achyuta Rao of the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) reported that they had found that “Farah wasn’t the first domestic child help. The family had two other kids as domestic help.

An investigating officer from Humayunnagar said that “a confusion regarding which police station the area falls under has delayed the matter”. He assures that the follow up will be done at the earliest.

It’s estimated that number of children in our state live as modern-day slaves. They work in the fields, in factories, and private households — often without pay and usually with no realistic chance of escaping. The majority of them are sold or hired out by their own families.