Like hundreds of minors in the city of Mumbai every year, Mina was rescued from the clutches of pimps in Bhiwandi, near Thane, last year.
Police deny knowledge of the practice, term it ‘a shocking trend’
“I hate looking at my body. My chest and hips have swelled in the last year,” says 14-year-old Mina (name changed).
Like hundreds of minors in the city of Mumbai every year, Mina was rescued from the clutches of pimps in Bhiwandi, near Thane, last year.
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.”
s_poornima@dnaindia.net 
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