The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has appealed to the High Court against the Bumthang district court’s judgement on a child trafficking case on Monday.
The lower court had dismissed the OAG’s allegation and altered it to illegal transportation of a foreigner. Accordingly, the defendant, a 31-year-old woman, was fined Nu 9900 as per the Immigration Act of Bhutan.
According to the OAG, the case is of child trafficking. In its submission to the district court, the OAG stated that the woman trafficked an eight-year-old girl from across the border in 2016. She made her babysit her child, battered her and even pushed her in the fire, which would cause the child life-long impairment.
The OAG is also appealing on the grounds that the girl was not presented before the court during the trial. Moreover, of the three witnesses the OAG submitted to the court, only one was called to testify.
The district court altered the child trafficking accusation to Illegal Transportation of a Foreigner due to lack of enough evidence of exploitation. As per its judgement, the girl from India was brought to Bumthang only to play with her kids. It also stated the defendant was taking good care of the victim without any harassment.
Besides the fine of Nu 9900, the court ordered the woman to pay a compensation of Nu 180,000 to the girl for neglecting her health while she was inflicted with injuries and infections.
The defendant admitted to the court that she did not know the child was an Indian national while she brought her for adoption.
The case first surfaced in April, last year when the Indian child was admitted to the Hospital in Bumthang with serious injuries and infections on her body.
Passang Dorji
