NHRC issues notice to three states regarding trafficking of minor girls

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognizance of media reports stating that minor girls are being trafficked and sold from the border districts of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan to various cities in Maharashtra. Regarding this serious matter, the Commission has issued notices to the Chief Secretaries and Directors General of Police of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra, directing them to submit a detailed report on the matter within two weeks.

According to reports by PIB and The Hindu, media reports have revealed that due to poverty and other reasons, parents sell their daughters to middlemen for amounts between ₹3 lakh and ₹5 lakh. These middlemen use forged documents to present these minor girls as adopted children and subsequently traffic them to other locations.

These reports further state that when these girls reach adulthood, their personal details are altered to conceal their identities. They are then sold for prostitution in various cities of Maharashtra for amounts between ₹35 lakh and ₹40 lakh. According to a media report published on 30 October 2026, four specific instances of such trafficking of girls were mentioned.

The National Human Rights Commission has stated that if the information provided in the media reports proves to be true, these are extremely serious issues involving the violation of the human rights of the victim girls. Therefore, the Commission has taken a strict stance on this matter and has sought clarification from the high-ranking officials of the concerned states. Poverty has been cited as the primary reason in this entire process, due to which families are committing crimes legally in this manner. The Commission will now proceed with further action based on these reports.