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Journalism of Courage
A 45-year-old sex worker Wednesday knocked on the Delhi High Court’s door, seeking to trace her daughter who went missing from a childcare institution, where she was admitted for better education, in July last year.
A bench of Justice S Muralidhar and Justice I S Mehta sought a response from the Delhi Police and the owner of the childcare institution in South Delhi on the mother’s plea, alleging that she was not allowed to speak to her daughter for over three years.
The Delhi Police submitted that the institution had earlier complained of a 20-year-old girl going missing. Police said that after the institution lodged the missing report, police started an enquiry into the matter and issued a publication in this regard.
“Enquiry in the present matter is still going on and sincere efforts are being made to trace the girl,” the police told the court. To this, the bench directed the police to file a status report with regard to the progress in the case by the next date of hearing, July 6.
The mother, who was trafficked from Assam and forced into prostitution, said that she was surviving with limited means had made every effort to educate her daughter so she could stand on her feet.
“In 2014, the petitioner was approached by the owner of the institute, who told her that they will provide better education to her daughter and will also admit her in private school,” the plea by the mother states, adding that she handed over her daughter to the institute when she was a minor. “They also promised that they would make me talk with my daughter once a week,” the woman said.
“Her (the woman’s) right to life and personal liberty was once violated when she was forced into prostitution, and is now being violated doubly over, by denying her the right to motherhood,” the plea filed by her in court stated, adding that for past three years, her daughter has been missing from the home. She further said that she is seeking urgent relief to ensure the safety and security of her daughter.
