Abused by father, runaway girl 'grew' into a man
Arun Dev / DNA
Friday, November 6, 2009 9:12 IST
http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_abused-by-father-runaway-girl-grew-into-a-man_1307817Banglore: It was a child's way to protect herself from her father and escape sexual abuse.
A load of broken stones on her head in a basket, her hair cut like a man's, a slightly over-sized shirt--Pakkerappa could pass for any young man going about his work as a labourer at a construction site.
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Pakkeramma took up manual jobs and worked as a domestic help to get by, but her life on the streets as a girl was hard. She took to wearing her hair short, and began wearing trousers. She lived with men, took to smoking, and adopted the name 'Pakkerappa'. "Even those with whom I lived did not suspect that I'm a woman. I've been like this for 24 years now," she says.
