Information about the abuse has been received from the Center for Abolition of Child Labor, India:
                                     
This is to bring to your kind attention the fact of brutal assault of an eight year
old female domestic help, Rozina Khatun (spelt as Regina Khatun in ‘The Telegraph’,
dated 24 May 2004) by her employer, Rehana Jargar, an inhabitant of the Behala East
Park area located within the jurisdiction of the Thakurpukur Police Station. We are
enclosing two scanned newspaper clippings covering the despicable event, published
in The Telegraph dt. May 24, 2004, and Bartaman dt. May 24, 2004.
From the details contained in the news items under reference and also procured in
course of the independent investigation carried out by a team of child rights
activists sent from the Campaign against Child Labour, (CACL), West Bengal Chapter,
it appears that Ms. Jargar had severely beaten the girl with tongs for negligence of
duty. It was also reported that initially the police had placed Ms. Jargar under
house arrest. Subsequently, the CACL’s Team visited the Thakurpukur Police Station
to conduct a first-hand enquiry of the matter. The Officer-in-Charge was not present
in the office. The Duty Officer, Mr. N.C. Mondal, is reported to have informed the
members of the said team that the employer and the aggrieved party had agreed to a
mutual settlement wherein the employer has agreed to bear the expenses of the
victim’s treatment and hence the case was supposedly closed. According to the CACL
investigation, Mr. Mondal stated that the child’s injury was a minor one and that
she returned to her parents after the incident.
The enquiries further revealed that the girl was a victim of regular maltreatment by
her employer. There are apprehensions that the parents of the victim had agreed to a
settlement due to both their lack of awareness of the due process of law that could
have been pursued in this matter and also a condition of abject poverty in which
they have been living at present .
In view of the above, we appeal  to you for urgent intervention to restore the rule
of law and afford justice to this helpless girl so that it can set an example for
all oppressors and exploiters of children like Rozina .  
 
On behalf of the CACL
 
Mr.Justice D.K. Basu, Chairperson, Legal Aid Services, West Bengal
 Mr. Probir Basu, Convenor, CACL, West Bengal
Ms. Sutapa Chakrabarty Director, Human Rights Law Network, Kolkata
Ms. Aloka Mitra, Director, Women`s Interlink Foundation,

Please send your letters to:

Shri Buddhadev Bhattacharya
Hon`ble Chief Minister of West Bengal
Government of West Bengal
Writers` Buildings
Kolkata- 700001

June 4, 2004

Respected Sir,

This is to bring to your kind attention the fact of brutal assault of an eight year old female domestic help, Rozina Khatun (spelt as Regina Khatun in 'The Telegraph', dated 24 May 2004) by her employer, Rehana Jargar, an inhabitant of the Behala East Park area located within the jurisdiction of the Thakurpukur Police Station. We are enclosing two scanned newspaper clippings covering the despicable event, published in The Telegraph dt. May 24, 2004, and Bartaman dt. May 24, 2004.
From the details contained in the news items under reference and also procured in course of the independent investigation carried out by a team of child rights activists sent from the Campaign against Child Labour, (CACL), West Bengal Chapter, it appears that Ms. Jargar had severely beaten the girl with tongs for negligence of duty. It was also reported that initially the police had placed Ms. Jargar under house arrest. Subsequently, the CACL's Team visited the Thakurpukur Police Station to conduct a first-hand enquiry of the matter. The Officer-in-Charge was not present in the office. The Duty Officer, Mr. N.C. Mondal, is reported to have informed the members of the said team that the employer and the aggrieved party had agreed to a mutual settlement wherein the employer has agreed to bear the expenses of the victim's treatment and hence the case was supposedly closed. According to the CACL investigation, Mr. Mondal stated that the child's injury was a minor one and that she returned to her parents after the incident.
The enquiries further revealed that the girl was a victim of regular maltreatment by her employer. There are apprehensions that the parents of the victim had agreed to a settlement due to both their lack of awareness of the due process of law that could have been pursued in this matter and also a condition of abject poverty in which they have been living at present .
In view of the above, we appeal  to you for urgent intervention to restore the rule of law and afford justice to this helpless girl so that it can set an example for all oppressors and exploiters of children like Rozina .  

Sincerely,
Your Name