Intrigued by her statement, NGOs have investigated and found a startling new
trend in the flesh trade. Revelations by minor girls rescued from prostitution
suggest that they are injected with growth hormones or forced to pop oral pills
that quicken their physical growth.
Brothel keepers apparently administer the pills or hormone injections
(oestrogen, testosterone, and steroids) as food supplements. A few months
later, the girls show abnormal growth, particularly on the chest and hips.
Some even develop facial hair, according to the Rescue Foundation, an NGO which
helped to free some of the girls.
Most the girls who have been rescued from brothels hail from West Bengal,
Andhra Pradesh, and the northeastern states of India. Others are trafficked
from neighbouring countries such as Nepal and Bangladesh.
"Suddenly I had hair on my chin and my hips were bigger. I was feeling
uncomfortable with my body," says 15-year-old Nina (name changed), who was
rescued in November 2007.
During her counselling sessions, Nina confided that she popped in pills
regularly, unaware of their harmful effects.
Social workers say there is a growing demand for 'fresh' girls from an
ever-increasing young clientele. The rates are also higher for minors, which
encourages brothel keepers to exploit them further. "If the girls grow
physically, they begin to appear like adults. The brothel owner does this to
save himself during police raids," says Triveni Acharya, founder of the Rescue
Foundation. She says the girls who are administered growth hormones also
develop "manly" voices.
The Mumbai Police, who regularly conduct raids to crack down on prostitution,
particularly minor prostitution, say they have not come across this trend. "If
it is true, it is a shocking trend," says a senior officer from the Social
Service Branch. "We will henceforth keep an eye out for such cases."
