Survivor rescued from red-light area in 2017 defies compensation, gets Rs 11 lakh
Telegraph | 16 March 2025
A trafficking survivor had in March 2020 challenged an order of the district legal services authority granting her an interim compensation of ₹3 lakh as “insufficient”.
Last month, finding merit in her challenge, the state legal services authority (SLSA) increased the amount to ₹11 lakh.
The earlier amount included compensation for physical abuse and rehabilitation but ignored the multiple rapes and commercial sexual exploitation that she was allegedly subjected to, said the SLSA.
“Considering the obvious plight of the victim; the extent of her suffering for about two years as a victim of human trafficking; the continuous acts of desecration of her body for commercial gain and the need of meaningful rehabilitation, I am of the view that the Ld. Secretary (of the DLSA of South 24-Parganas) had been miserly in the matter of grant of interim compensation,” said the SLSA order dated February 25.
“Furthermore, the Ld. Secretary had no genuine reason to ignore the allegations of continuous rape that suggested obvious sexual exploitation,” said the order, signed by S. Arnab Ghosal, the member-secretary of the SLSA.
The SLSA is the custodian of the corpus created by the Bengal government for disbursal of funds — under the West Bengal Victim Compensation Scheme, created in 2012 — to compensate survivors of offences like rape, acid attacks and human trafficking.
In 2015, when she was 17, the survivor was allegedly trafficked to Pune. She was rescued from a red-light area in July 2017, said a social worker with an NGO that supported the survivor.
“The survivor was traumatised when she came back. She needed regular counselling sessions,” said Pompa Ghosh, a volunteer with Goranbose Gram Bikash Kendra.
“But she has since shown great courage. She testified against her tormentors via video-conferencing during the trial conducted at a Pune court,” said Ghosh.
The SLSA order granted ₹5 lakh as compensation “for the victim’s complaint regarding repeated acts of rape”, ₹4 lakh for the “physical abuse which the victim may have endured” and ₹2 lakh for “meaningful rehabilitation”.
The woman, now 27, married and a mother of two, said she got to know about the new order a day ago.
“I want to keep a bulk of the money for my children’s education. With what remains, I want to build a home and start an embroidery business,” she said.
Her husband is a tailor. She makes feather crowns for deities, but the income is far from enough.
Five years ago, when the DLSA ordered an interim compensation of ₹3 lakh, many advised the survivor to accept the money. But she refused.
“I had nothing to lose. I wanted to see the end of it,” she told The Telegraph.
On January 14, the SLSA ordered an interim compensation of ₹13.5 lakh for another trafficking survivor.
Lawyers and social workers welcomed the grant of “significant amounts”.
“Considering the age of the survivor, gravity of the crime and complete violation of her body and mind, the SLSA increased the amount. No amount of money can be enough for the torment that trafficking survivors have to endure. But it is a positive sign that the state is at least not hesitating to give substantial amounts in keeping with the law,” said Debayan Sen, a lawyer who represented the survivors in both the compensation appeals.