Father showed obscene videos, abused daughter:Victim reveals exploitation from age 10, says, ‘He had evil intentions towards younger sister too’

The horror began at age 10 “When my younger sister was born, she slept with my mother and I slept next to my father. He would show me obscene videos on his phone and force me to do the same things,” says 19-year-old Shweta (changed name), her eyes trembling with anxiety as she recalls her childhood. Shweta was only 10–11 years old when her father began sexually abusing her. Living in a small house, she had stopped sleeping next to her mother and unknowingly stepped into a nightmare. Shweta’s mother has passed away. Now she is facing life’s challenges with her sister. How did she finally gather the courage to file a complaint against her own father and what trauma did she go through for so many years? Bhaskar spoke to Shweta about this. Read the report… Threats and fear kept her silent With time, her father’s abuse became routine. When Shweta began to understand that his actions were wrong and tried to resist, he threatened to shoot her mother if she told anyone.
Terrified, Shweta suffered in silence for 4–5 more years. She confided in her mother — but abuse continued Eventually, when the torture became unbearable, Shweta gathered the courage to tell her mother everything. Her mother tried to shield her, but it only enraged her father. He started beating her mother and demanded that Shweta continue sleeping beside him, threatening to kill his wife if she objected.
The home turned into a living hell — a mother fighting to save her daughter and a father turning increasingly violent. Mother died in a road accident In May 2023, tragedy struck again. Five months after learning the truth, Shweta’s mother died in a road accident. The two sisters — Shweta and her 11-year-old sibling — were left alone with the very man who posed the greatest danger to them. Child Helpline rescue: Temporary safety When the abuse escalated after their mother’s death, Shweta called the Child Helpline. Officials intervened and shifted both girls to a children’s shelter home (Bal Niketan).
“For the first time, I felt safe,” Shweta says. “I was more worried for my younger sister. I didn’t want her to suffer what I did.” Father apologised — but deception followed Months later, their father visited the shelter home, apologised and promised he would change. Believing him, Shweta and her sister returned home.
But the trust shattered quickly. The abuse resumed.
Devastated, Shweta took her sister and moved into a rented accommodation. Father demands sex for money Struggling to pay for rent and school fees, Shweta once called her father seeking financial support.
His response stunned her: Come sleep with me, and I’ll give you Rs 10,000 every month. That was the final trigger. Shweta immediately decided to go to the police. I want people to read my story,” she says. “Children should know they can speak up. What happened to me should never happen to anyone else. Father arrested under POCSO Act Police have booked Shweta’s father under charges of molestation, coercion for sexual relations, and sections of the POCSO Act. He has been arrested.
Under POCSO, aggravated sexual assault — especially when committed by a parent or guardian — carries 10 years to life imprisonment.
According to NCRB data, 22,433 crimes against children were recorded in 2023, a 9.2% increase from the previous year.