Home Public Interest

Baghpat: Trafficked Brides Suffer Rape and Abuse

Baghpat has a low sex ratio, and women from other states--many who are trafficked--are married off to men here, face several forms of abuse.

New Update
Baghpat - Trafficked Brides Suffer Abuse

Baghpat: Trafficked Brides Suffer Rape and Abuse | Illustration by Jigyasa Mishra

Listen to this article
0.75x 1x 1.5x
00:00 / 00:00

Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh: “It was a happy marriage for the initial few weeks, but eventually it turned into a nightmare,” says Shamita (name changed). “I was waiting for my husband to return from work, when his elder brother entered my room and closed the door. He raped me,” the 29-year-old who lives in Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh says.

Located 40 km from Delhi and sharing a border with Haryana, Baghpat has 861 women to every 1,000 men compared to the national sex ratio of 940, as per the 2011 census.

The district had a child sex ratio (in the age group 0- 6 years) of 841. For children born in the last five years, the child sex ratio was 818 in 2019-21 against 763 in 2015-16, according to the National Family Health Survey.

We Have a Request for You: Keep Our Journalism Alive
We are a small, dedicated team at The Probe, committed to in-depth, slow journalism that dives deeper than daily headlines. We can't sustain our vital work without your support. Please consider contributing to our social impact projects: Support Us or Become a Member of The Probe. Even your smallest support will help us keep our journalism alive.

A normal gender ratio at birth is between 102-106 boys per 100 girls, which would be equivalent to 943-980 girls per 1,000 boys, according to a report by organisations working on gender issues, as IndiaSpend reported in August 2017. This ratio is not 1,000 boys for every 1,000 girls because it is nature's way of balancing a higher risk of death for boys as they grow older, according to the World Health Organisation.

Decades of forced female foeticide complemented by illegal sex determination tests has led to a situation where many men in the district do not find brides. Devendra Kumar Dhama, founder of local non-profit Chetna Kalyan Samiti, which works for gender rights, tells IndiaSpend, “Due to the root cause of patriarchy, several immoral and illegal practices are commonly seen in the district. They begin with female foeticide, and later on they end up buying girls for their sons, causing trauma to that girl and her family in the entire process.”

When others tell you what happened, The Probe reveals why it happened. Stay informed—join our WhatsApp channel today. Click to join: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaXEzAk90x2otXl7Lo0L

The story of Baghpat is the story of trafficked brides falling prey to abuse and wife-sharing, and forced female foeticide, all of this compounded by a failed law.

Generations-old torture

“My in-laws were in the house,” Shamita, who was married in 2017, recalls of her rape. “

login-icon

The Probe: Investigative Journalism & In-Depth News Analysis

Dive into the world of The Probe, where investigative journalism meets in-depth news analysis. Explore exclusive stories, uncover hidden truths, and gain unparalleled insights into issues of public interest.