Child Traffickers Sentenced to Life Imprisonment

On April 30, 2014, IJM assisted the Immoral Traffic Section of Kolkata Police in rescuing two victims: Mahati,* who was a minor at the time, and an adult. In one of her statements to the police, Mahati said she was raped repeatedly by the trafficker, while his wife hit her and threatened her into submission.

Following the rescue, officials brought Mahati to a safe shelter home where she could recover, heal, and learn new skills, such as tailoring and soap-making, to help her sustain her freedom. For the next one and a half years, IJM social workers regularly met Mahati at the shelter home and helped her overcome her trauma and feelings of shame. She returned to her family in 2016, and to this day, she is free and living in safety.

The perpetrators were detained by the police, and IJM assisted the investigating officer to ensure that the documentation of facts was sound.

The traffickers filed numerous applications for bail during the subsequent 10-year legal trial, but IJM’s legal team helped the prosecutor in opposing these requests in court, and they were rejected. The suspects managed to get bail in 2020 and 2023 but were shortly re-arrested because of another trafficking case and returned to prison. The traffickers’ lawyer also attempted to disrupt the trial by filing a false case against IJM’s lawyer. Though it slowed down the progress of the case, it was dismissed.

All of these attempts to delay or deny justice were ultimately fruitless, as the court agreed with the well-documented facts of the case and the victim’s brave testimonies of what she had endured.

Justice At Last

The case finally came up for judgment on December 19, 2024. One IJM staff member describes, “The accused—knowing fully well that he was going to be convicted—requested the judge in open court to sentence him only for 10 years, but the judge convicted both the accused for life.”

In addition to these sentences, the Special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Court ordered the perpetrators to pay a fine of 160,000 rupees (USD 1,855) and gave that entire amount to the survivor to assist in her ongoing healing. Furthermore, the Court directed the District Legal Services Authority to grant the survivor an additional 500,000 rupees (USD 5,800) as compensation.

Mahati was filled with a sense of fairness and joy at the news of the court’s verdict and victim compensation amount. She said: “His life imprisonment is just. I believe that not only me but many others who had suffered at the hands of these abusers have received justice. Justice prevails eventually, and truth one day does arise. I never expected to receive 500,000 rupees [compensation]. I do not know what to do with the money. I have been suffering from tuberculosis and typhoid for the past few months, so I hope I can pay for good healthcare and leave the rest to my three children.”

Celebrating this big win, the Kolkata Police proudly posted about the conviction on their official social media account on X. (Click here to view the post.) The investigating officer expressed her gratitude to IJM for supporting the case and providing essential case laws and resource materials that were instrumental in securing the conviction.

The great work of these local officials demonstrates the impact of IJM’s justice system strengthening program in Kolkata, which focused on combating the commercial sexual exploitation of children from 2006 to 2021. With these latest convictions, the team has seen 101 traffickers, brothel owners, pimps, and customers convicted for abusing children in the program—contributing to better protection for children and a significant reduction in the prevalence of sex trafficking in Kolkata.