Child sale racket
Financial challenges force parents to sell infants
FROM S T BEURIA
DH NEWS SERVICE
While the financial background of parents still remains a major cause for them
to sell their infant children, such cases do not remain confined to backward and
undeveloped Orissa districts anymore, reports DHNS from Balasore in Orissa.
A fortnight ago, when a 32-year-old lady was found searching for buyers for her
two infant twins in the local bus stand in Sahadevkhunta area of the industrial
town of north Orissa Balasore district, it created a stir.
Gintanjali Patra, wife of Padmalocahn Patra, a resident of Sunagadia in the
outskirts of Baripada town in neighbouring Mayrubhanj district claimed that she
was forced to sell off both her 2-month-old sons as it had become difficult for
her and her husband to bring up their five children. The couple already had
three children – two sons and a daughter – when the twins were born.
According to Gitanjali, her husband, a small time businessman, had run into a
rough patch financially forcing him to wind up shop. Jobless since then, he
found it difficult to feed his family. She further said that she decided sell
the twins after her husband threatened to kill them. “He wanted to kill both
the children as they had become an additional burden on us”, she said.
She found buyers for the twins in Ramchandra Sethy, a restaurant owner who
bought one child for Rs 1500, and Rabindra Sahu, a sweets stall owner, who
bought the other baby for Rs 1000.
Meanwhile, the local administrations of both Balasore and Mayrubhanj districts
swung into action and launched an operation to hush up the case. A day after the
incident, officials from both districts with the help of the police conducted a
midnight raid on the houses of the both buyers and rescued the infants.
They were handed over to their father, who confirmed his acute financial
trouble. The Mayurbhanj district administration has now promised him to provide
help to restart his business.
However, contrary to the district officials’ claim, the matter is far from
over, as last Friday the state human rights commission issued notices to both
Balasore and Mayurbhanj district administration to file their reports on the
incident.
[Deccan herald, Monday, December 13, 2004]