While it is
clear that sex slavery has been an industry in operation for millennia, I was
interested in finding out what the current drivers and influences are for the
industry to be so shockingly prevalent.
The particular
context in each country is slightly different, and thus I would advise, if you
are interested in a particular country, to have a look at the U.S. Department
of State Trafficking in Persons Report which specifically addresses the issues
of trafficking in each country. I decided to investigate the underlying
factors, motivations and settings in which sex-trafficking occurs in India, as
it is not necessarily thought of as a country with high sex trafficking rates
(either that, or I am completely naïve!), and it faces many of the same
challenges as many countries globally.
Shockingly, one
NGO based in New Delhi, Courage Homes, estimates that 200 women in India alone
enter into prostitution per day, with 80% doing so unwillingly.1
Who is most vulnerable?
The most
vulnerable women in India are those who are from a low socio-economic status
(SES) background, however it is now clear that young women of higher SES
backgrounds are at risk.2
How are women coerced?
As well as
brazen kidnapping, girls are often coerced into the sex trafficking industry by
two main tactics. One of the most common tactics to coerce girls (including
those who are well educated) is to make promises of well-paying jobs in major
cities, where they are instead forced into prostitution.2 The second
tactic (which was also seen in the movie Taken),
is to have a girl ‘fall in love’ with a man who will sell her to a sex
trafficker or pimp, or will prostitute her himself.1 The Indian
newspaper, The Hindu, highlights a personal story of this very case happening:
The latest case
is that of 17-year-old Wahida (name changed) from South 24 Parganas, who was
smuggled into the city by an acquaintance of her lover’s brother and sold to a
brothel on G.B. Road in Central Delhi about a week ago. “Having completed my
Class X, I had gone to get myself enrolled with a nurse training school where
Siraj, an acquaintance of my lover Nasir’s brother, met me. He took me to an
eating joint where we had some food, after which I lost my senses. My body was
functioning properly, but I could not utter a single word. What happened
thereafter I cannot recall. It seems he made me consume food laced with some
drugs,” said Wahida, daughter of a rickshaw puller.3
Where is this most prevalent?
The major hubs
for child sex tourism and sex slavery are in major cities and towns, as well as
in religious pilgrim centers such as Tirupati, Puri and
Guruvayoor.2 Furthermore, women from Bangladesh and Nepal are
trafficked through India for commercial sexual exploitation in the Middle East
(as well as in India).2 Indian women have also been found in sex
slavery as far as Europe, trafficked through Ginea.2
What other contributing factors are there?
One of the major
influences is the Indian government and their lack of compliance with minimum
standards for eliminating trafficking (however changes are being made).2
To highlight this, most police raids of brothels and other places of human
trafficking such as rice mills and factories were prompted and insisted upon by
NGO’s.2 Furthermore, there are also allegations that some police
harass and adversely affect the work of NGO’s in some areas of India. The
factors surrounding sex trafficking in India are obviously deeply entrenched,
as one NGO activist pointed out to The Hindu,
“I am working
in a community which traditionally supplies women for prostitution and sees it
as a source of livelihood. So to fight for a positive change by educating the
girls in the community is an uphill task’’.4
Not For Sale, an
NGO set up to fight slavery, has also found that up to 95% of female victims of
trafficking in New Delhi rehabilitation programs are not provided education,
employment, job or life skills training, thus leading them into the original
state of vulnerability.5 Organisations like Courage Homes and Not
For Sale are currently doing amazing work to restore trafficked victims’
dignity and future employment opportunities, as the video (Not for Sale India demonstrates.5,6
However there is desperate need for more government help and society
awareness to prevent sex trafficking from occurring in the first place.
Obviously this post
has just focused on one country, and the factors listed here are by no means
exhaustive. However similar factors and
struggles with the sex trafficking industry can be found globally and I would
encourage you to visit the Trafficking in Persons Report that specifically
addresses the issues of trafficking in each country. For more information,
follow this link: http://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2010/142760.htm
- Joshua
References
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