Woman speaks up on her journey through human trafficking, demands justice

KARACHI

Stories like Emmi’s tell us how the state has turned a blind eye towards the misery of marginalised communities.

Emmi, 30, and a resident of Thatta looks for justice with the help of an NGO for providing legal aid to women and child survivors of violence and abuse, sources reported.

The police have not only refused to register an FIR on one pretext or another but also sexually harassed her.

There is no action from the government side either that has been informed in writing about the case, Emmi told reporters.

“When I took my complaint to the Thatta police, nobody took me seriously and the staff there started laughing. I was told to go to the house of DSP Makli for FIR’s registration,” said Emmi at the press conference organised by Madadgaar Helpline in its office.

She accused the police official of sexually harassing her. “I have been exploited for eight years and demand justice,” she said as tears rolled down her face.

Emmi’s troubles started when she became friendly with a man over the phone in 2008. The man that she identified as Shahbaz, a resident of Mirpur Sakro, later convinced her to meet him outside her house and kidnapped her with the help of another man, Ramzan, sources claimed.

“They took me to an unknown place where I was confined in a dark room for 20 days, beaten and raped. Then I was sold and taken to Nawabshah,” she said.

In Nawabshah, Emmy was forced to sign some papers to convert her from Hinduism to Islam and arrange her fake marriage with Javed Khaskheli who forced her into prostitution. She attempted twice to escape and was punished.

“I was burnt and initially admitted to a hospital in Nawabshah and later to the Combined Military Hospital in Hyderabad.

I was told that I should identify myself as the wife of Javed,” she told journalists, adding that she was also poisoned by his tormentors.

Her father had died, following her kidnapping.

She also showed a picture and the national identity card of one of his tormentors to media persons during the briefing, sources claimed.

According to Mr Awan, it was after his NGO received no positive reply from the government side, including minister for culture Sharmila Faruqui, that it decided to highlight the case in the media.