Father Uses Daughter as Gambling Stake and Loses
A resident of Malda, West Bengal, ran out of gambling cash and used his sixteen-year-old daughter as a stake in a game of cards, only to lose her. The winner promptly went and took the girl from her school and brought her to his village, Sultanpur.
Neighbors of Ismail, the father, say he is addicted to gambling and owed many in his village of Satgharia money from loans to cover gaming debts. When reports of the girl's being taken to Sultanpur began to circulate, family members called police, who are working to resolve the situation.
Indian customs allow for treatment of women as possessions. Tabloid reports surfaced that the father of Rubina Ali, an Indian child actress noted for her work in the movie "Slumdog Millionaire," had taken bids on selling his daughter after her rise to fame.
Ismail lost his daughter by first gambling away what little money he had, then continuing to lose his possessions, one by one. Only when he had nothing else to reach for did Ismail face the decision to quit or risk the girl. And he kept right on going.
The incident has raised awareness around the globe of the way women are treated in some traditional, rural areas of India. Even villagers used to disparate treatment for men and women were shocked by the girl's plight.
