In a shocking incident, poverty compelled a father to sell his daughter for just Rs 200. A man from Teliamuras Maharanipur district of West Tripura said that he had to sell his 8-month-old daughter for Rs 200 and he did so, because of poverty. However, this is not the first time, out of poverty and frustration, many parents have sold their children or made their children work as slaves in factories, in brothels or as domestic servants in families. In another recent incident, a tribal woman from Tripura had sold her child for Rs 200 too. The woman belonged to Below Poverty Line (BPL) category and had sold her kid to an auto driver.
The child’s father confessed and said, he was against selling the child but his mother sold the child for Rs 200. He had further said that the child is present in Machkumbhi village.
He added, after raising the reported incident of selling in front of the head of the village, it was deliberated and they decided that they should get the child back, but the person, to whom the kid was sold, refused to give them the child and said that the child will be given to his mother only. The case was also taken care of by the Social Welfare and Social Education Department, who said that they are making all required efforts to bring the child back. Abid Hossain of the Local Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) also confirmed that he is well aware of the incident and further said, he is making all efforts to bring the child back through Child Line.
In another incident reported from Ultacharra ADC village in remote Gandacherra subdivision of Dhalai District, a woman had sold her son to help pay for medicines for her ailing husband. The woman was forced to sell her son for Rs 5000 so that she could bear the cost of her ailing husband. This incident also took place in West Tripura. In last few years, many incidents of tribal families selling their children have been reported.
