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Transnational anti-trafficking networks seek to 'rescue' cisgender women who sell sex in India. This article puzzles out why cis female sex workers might narrate themselves as victims of trafficking in need of rescue despite making comfortable livings as independent sex workers who control their own labour. I draw data from my own ethnographic observations, interviews with 130 Telugu-speaking sex workers, as well as publicly circulating media clips, all from fieldwork conducted in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana between 2009 and 2018. The victim narratives analysed here were told by sex workers familiar with arguments in favour of decriminalising and destigmatizing sex work. My research suggests that many women who sell sex value the material goals of the sex workers' rights movement while nevertheless longing for the immaterial moral security touted by anti-traffickers. I argue that publicly performing trafficking narratives allows women who sell sex to disavow moral agency in participating in what they often refer to as tappudu pani (bad work) while nevertheless accessing the material benefits of sex work. Participating in what Lindquist has called the aesthetic of trafficking, therefore, enables them to plead for sympathy from not only faceless donors but their own moral communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indian law prescribes 'protective custody' for sex workers, placing them in carceral shelters after police and NGO-initiated raids and rescues. Frequent allegations of abuse and incidents of escape are followed by media and judicial scrutiny, leaving shelter detention itself unquestioned. This article situates shelter detention in two ways. It examines its legal prescription in the Indian socio-legal context and its connections to global anti-trafficking and anti-immigration contexts. It also engages with Foucauldian concepts and feminist, socio-legal, historical, and anthropological work on India to analyze the power shelter detention instantiates. Next, the article critiques shelter detentionby drawing upon my ethnography at a Mumbai shelter and reflections on methods and ethics, and by tracking how the media and judiciary responded to an escape. Through these methods, approaches, and findings, I argue that shelter detention curtails sex workers' mobilities and impedes their livelihoods through: 1) Its legal prescription, authorizing multiple forms of governance; 2) Its implementation, shaped by challenges of governance delaying sex workers' release; and 3) Media exposés and judicial interventions further intensifying surveillance. The article shows, further, that sex workers' escapes and acts of resistance illuminate not just 'exceptional' abuse, but the routine, ever-expanding forms of governance animating shelter detention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurately detecting human trafficking is particularly challenging due to its covert nature, difficulty in distinguishing trafficking from non-trafficking exploitative conditions, and varying operational definitions. Typically, detecting human trafficking requires resource-intensive efforts from resource-constrained anti-trafficking stakeholders. Such measures may need personnel training or machine learning-based identification technologies that suffer from detection errors. Repeated usage of such measures risks biasing detection efforts and reducing detection effectiveness. Such problems raise the question: "How should imperfect detection resources be allocated to most effectively identify human trafficking?" As an answer, we construct a class of resource allocation models that considers various optimal allocation scenarios. These scenarios range from optimal location selection for monitoring to optimal allocation of a finite set of imperfect resources, given error rates. We illustrate the applicability of these models across both human and technology-facilitated detection contexts at the India–Nepal border and in the global seafood industry. Insights from our models help inform operational strategies for allocating limited anti-human trafficking resources in a way that effectively preserves human rights and dignity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trafficking is a transnational legal problem that has attracted considerable attention since the adoption of the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. In derogation of a robust indigenous jurisprudence on forced labour, the Indian state has, since 2000, imported the criminal law model of the Convention culminating in the Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Care and Rehabilitation) Bill 2021. This Bill is a hypercarceral law, the relationship of which with pre-existing labour laws is unclear even as it seeks to abolish sex work. In its zeal to crack down on criminals, its provisions violate fundamental principles of criminal liability and Articles 14, 19, and 21 of the Constitution even while it casts the net of the criminal law wide, threatening to freeze sections of the economy and render the Indian worker a victim who is confined to rehabilitation homes. The article argues for a fundamental rethink of the Bill. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transit monitoring is a preventive approach used to identify possible cases of human trafficking before exploitation while an individual is in transit or before crossing a border. Transit monitoring is often conducted by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that train staff to identify and intercept suspicious activity. Love Justice International (LJI) is a well-established NGO that has been conducting transit monitoring for years along the Nepal-India border at multiple monitoring stations. In partnership with LJI, we developed a system that uses data envelopment analysis (DEA) to help LJI decision makers evaluate the performance of these stations at intercepting potential human trafficking victims given the amount of resources (staff, etc.) available and make specific operational improvement recommendations. Our model consists of 91 decision-making units from seven stations over 13 quarters and considers three inputs, four outputs, and three homogeneity criteria. Using this model, we identified efficient stations, compared rankings of station performance, and recommended strategies to improve efficiency. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first application of DEA in the anti-human trafficking domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the status of human trafficking in India will be presented. Human trafficking is one of the speediest expanding and profitable types of offence not only in India but Internationally too. This form of modern-day slavery contains miscellaneous exercises of human exploitation such as sex trafficking, forced labour, marriage, begging, and illegal organ transplantation. On the other hand, central reasons or vulnerability components of trafficking such as structural inequality, culturally sanctioned traditions, deprivation or financial insecurity, bonded labour, and gender violence, which are outlying and aggravated by disintegration, have stuck around unrecognised in intellectual and policy provinces. The significance of Human trafficking impacts all nations and destroys sufferers and society while affecting social, economic, and health costs. This paper argues that the focus is required to be conveyed to such underlying sources and manners by which this corruption is expanding. There is high need to look out for the laws made for crimes related to human trafficking, to protect the human of the trafficked persons in India. Hence, it furnishes some preventive actions to restrain and deal with the nuisance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an analysis of the work of Religious Sisters in Assam, India. They are involved in anti-slavery/anti-human trafficking work, as well as driving fundamentally feminist, economic equality, and human rights agendas within the wider communities in which they live. Their work resembles that of Non-Governmental Organisations, but unlike most NGO s, the Sisters tend not to: produce annual reports, carry out evaluation exercises, prepare grant proposals, or set 'key performance indicators'. This raises three questions: firstly, while the voluntary sector increasingly requires monitoring and evaluation, what are the methods the Sisters use to achieve social change? Secondly, the Sisters are not trained NGO employees, so what skill sets do they bring to the work? Thirdly, how effective is their work by their own assessment and outside evaluators? We identify six philosophical/spiritual orientations that shape their working practices and a methodology of accompaniment – living directly with those the Sisters work to support in change. While there are no educational/training certifications, there is a rite de passage that every woman must accomplish – the recognition of a divine calling to service and the encompassing commitment of a vocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the life of the victim's parents in Karnataka and to gain a better understanding of the consequences or impact of sex trafficking on them. Design/methodology/approach: A narrative research design was used in the study. Applying the method of narrative inquiry and the concept of three common spaces, the study explored the actual life situations and experiences of the victim's parents. The study covered three pairs of parents as participants from two cities, i.e. Mysore and Bangalore in the state of Karnataka. Data was collected through in-depth face-to-face interview, informal conversations, photographs and field notes. Findings: The study found that the victims' parents are living an isolated or socially alienated life with potential symptoms of behavioural, cognitive and emotional disorders. The study also found that the victim's parents fundamental right to live with dignity and respect have been violated. A significant finding in the study was that the parents did not cite or refer to any substantial efforts undertaken by non-governmental organisations in reintegrating the victim's families within their communities. There are many rehabilitative services available for the victims. Unfortunately, the victim's parents mostly remain unnoticed and unattended by therapists, social work practitioners and policymakers. An appeal is made to therapists, social workers, policymakers and individuals to support the victim's parents. Originality/value: All forms of human trafficking, especially sex trafficking has drawn considerable interest from researchers, policymakers, charities and non-government agencies. However, very little is known about the living conditions of the victim's parents, especially the psycho-social status in their families and neighbourhood. Therefore, it was pertinent to explore the life of the victim's parents including violation of their human rights. It highlights the importance of support from the society in reintegrating the victim's families with their communities. This paper contributes to the qualitative literature by providing narrative evidence, which will lead to better policymaking and designing effective support services for the victim's parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brahmanical patriarchy alongside the close relation of prostitution with human trafficking continues to mould contemporary anti-trafficking and prostitution governance policies in India. This study examines such relationships and breaks down how brahmanical patriarchy as a caste-driven hierarchy between the genders has shaped the historical and contemporary governance of human trafficking and sexual commerce, its political economy and its consequences for marginalised groups. It underlines how, originating in the colonial period, the components of brahmanical patriarchy advanced the marginalisation of women in sexual commerce by influencing anti-trafficking governance. In addition, it has produced the marginalisation of other communities such as religious minorities and immigrants, in contemporary times. This study suggests that it is the intersection of (colonial and/or current) political-economic interests and socio-cultural hierarchies and controls such as brahmanical patriarchy (as in this case of India) that moulds anti-trafficking and prostitution governance measures, continuing the marginalisation of subalterns such as sex workers, migrants and minorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Largely characterized as an urban issue, empirical studies of minor sex trafficking in rural communities—including India, a global hotspot for child sex trafficking—are exceptionally uncommon. Yet, the commercial sexual exploitation of children thrives in many rural Indian villages, fueled by caste discrimination, family tradition, and poverty. In response, this study aimed to investigate minor sex trafficking among a particular culturally unique and geographically isolated population, in relation to the dominant human trafficking literature. In-depth interviews were conducted with 31 female members of the Bedia caste—a unique population whose primary form of income is derived from participation in the rural sex trade. Framed by the social theory of intersectionality, we sought to (1) identify vulnerabilities for commercial sex industry entry among Bedia youth and (2) examine the cultural context of the commercial sex industry among the Bedia, with particular attention to the dominant victim/perpetrator paradigms. Implications for continued research, practice, and policy are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Covid-19 pandemic had a disproportionate impact on the vulnerable sections of society, including children. While fall in nutritional status and gap in education are well-recorded, the heighted risk of exploitation faced by children is less researched. This article traces the impact of the pandemic on child trafficking in India. The domains that were explored were if there had been a rise in child trafficking due to the pandemic, what were the forms of exploitation witnessed, if any new strategies of recruitment had been created by the pandemic and the measures taken by the state during the period. The methodology was content analysis and thematic analysis of articles in national dailies in English in India from March 2020 when a lockdown was imposed to October 2021 when schools finally reopened. The study found that the period saw a surge in child trafficking as evidenced by rescues. Labour trafficking emerged as the dominant form as compared to trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation and sale of babies. There was a surge in bride trafficking too. Two new forms of exploitation that were witnessed were auctioning of Covid orphans and induction of very young children into crime. Traditional recruitment methods such as word of mouth reference continued but technology in the form of social media platforms emerged as new pathways of recruitment. Disaster relief to affected communities was also adopted by traffickers to gain the trust of vulnerable families with targeted children. The state issued advisories to law enforcement for rescue and to local governments for prevention measures. Content analysis revealed these trends while latent thematic analysis gave information about the network structure of the trafficking business, evidence of presence of organized crime in some forms of exploitation and the embeddedness of the trafficking business in the legal economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What happens after rescue from modern slavery, the third largest organized crime in the world? The mainstream perspective suggests that people can be rescued and set free from slavery. This article challenges this assumption by arguing that rescue inflicts more violence and sends workers back to exploitative labour. Based on a multi-sited ethnographic study of 31 workers in the informal sector (and 10 civil society and state officials) in India who have being rescued (under the Bonded Labour System Abolition Act 1976), this article shows that workers have been stuck/waiting in the legal process for up to 37 years. To demonstrate the same, the article engages with the concept of ‘waiting’. The notion of waiting emerges as a poignant illustration of the profound disjunction between the visions of freedom from slavery held by states (manifested through standard operating procedures) and non-governmental organizations (with their emphasis on rescue and rehabilitation), and the lived experiences of the workers themselves, who perceive the post-rescue process as an enduring state of limbo. By bridging the realms of literature on waiting with that of human trafficking, this article contributes to the field of critical slavery studies, bonded labour and multi-sited ethnography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article looks at how adoption law prescribes correct contexts for the legitimate movement of children. It is specifically an analysis of the Adoption Regulation of India, 2017, and the Juvenile Justice Act 2015, and the way in which they warrant three kinds of movement of children through adoption: 'abandonment'/'surrender', 'return' and 'giving and taking'. By investigating the precise way in which law formulates definition of these terms, this article attempts to understand how legal terminology comes to affect the kind of sites that the biological family, the state and the adoptive family end up becoming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Homelessness has a detrimental impact on physical health. Deterioration of physical health is closely linked to psychosocial wellbeing. Rehabilitation of a homeless person with mental illness is very challenging when it is due to social factors. Methodology: A case study from the inpatient department of the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS), Delhi has been taken for the current study. The information collected from the patient case record file, personal interviews, and interaction with various professionals involved during the process of rehabilitation. Result: In the present case study it was observed that there is a strong association between homelessness and mental illness. Homelessness leads to exploitation, and human trafficking, which works as predisposing factors for mental illness. Multiple factors are associated with homelessness and mental illness. Social factors viz. poverty, lack of education, childhood trauma, stressful home environment and poor social support affect the person's mental health. Due to lack of insight and poor judgment, the affected persons land up in more stressful situations. Conclusion: Mental illnesses and homelessness have been one of the major concerns in developing countries. Timely interventions on these aspects by the stakeholders can prevent homelessness and thereby mental illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the intersectionality of various analytical issues related to the trafficking of women from India, South Asia, to the United States. Addressing the oppressive pathways and their intersectionality, this conceptual framework provides a deeper understanding of the interrelationships of nationality, gender, ethnicity, religion, class, caste, immigration process, immigration status, social support in the United States, and language barriers that influence migrating women's vulnerability to human trafficking in the process of immigration from India, South Asia, to the United States. The primary purpose of this paper is to advocate for a binary perspective of intersectionality in conducting research in international human trafficking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human trafficking is mostly carried out for the purpose of sexual exploitation and bonded labour all around the world. However, it can be done for the several purposes. It also results in violation of victim's human rights. In context of India, it is less explored as compared to its magnitude. In this article, an effort is made to show the magnitude of problem in the country and the laws which deal with it. It is observed that there is no comprehensive law that prevent the problem of human trafficking till date. The laws that prohibits the human trafficking such as the Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act (ITPA), 1956, and The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act (BLSAA), 1976 etc. are not sufficient to tackle this severe crime. To prevent human trafficking in India, the legislative measures relating to human trafficking as a whole should be strict and these must be sufficiently intensified to ensure that they meet all standards for preventing the evil of human trafficking. Human trafficking and its repercussions must be made known to people living in poverty across the country in order to prevent them from becoming the victims. National and international seminars and conferences might be organised throughout the country to bring the general public and the government together to combat human trafficking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While societal and structural factors often constrain women's agency in patriarchal settings, women nevertheless find creative ways to manifest and develop agency. Female sex workers (FSWs), in particular, are regularly assumed to have little or no agency, but an important body of literature suggests otherwise. To add to this knowledge, this study sought to answer the question: How do FSWs in Mumbai, India, exert agency in personal and professional contexts? In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 FSWs in the Kamathipura red-light area. Four themes emerged: (a) sex work as a rational and empowering choice, (b) resources and assets, (c) sex work as a means of achievement, and (d) managing violence, retribution, and fear. These themes reveal expressions of agency that illustrate how sex workers are intentional, rational, goal-oriented, and resilient. The findings of this study can contribute to the removal of stigma surrounding sex work and inform service providers working with this population in their efforts to treat sex workers with dignity and respect. Further research is needed in this area, especially which centers on the voices of the agentic sex workers themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Either it is sexual harassment or sexual exploitation; both are considered as an unwelcoming act without the consent of the victim andit may include any act of sexual nature, such as, groping the private parts of the victim and forcing the victim for advancement of the sexual desires of a perpetrator and rape too. Since children are no doubt innocent, they become the easy prey of the perpetrators and can easily be exploited physically and mentally by them as they can easily be persuaded to any extent. Here, it is equally true that people of near relationship were found as predators, who try to spoil the future of an innocent child for their illicit and immoral sexual pleasures. In other words, risk from known persons is bigger than the risk from the strangers. There are many reasons for the increasing rate of this despicable act, yet presence of obscene materials, more particularly, child pornographic materials on the internet is one of the most prominent reasons of it. Free and easy availability of Internet facility has boosted this social evil and transformed it into a big industry known as 'Porn Industry'. The authors have tried to highlight the loopholes of Indian legal system that gave boost to this industry and also the steps required to be taken to curb the menace of this despicable act against the minors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Counter-trafficking measures are to be implemented at various levels and by various organisations. The medical professionals also play an important role in this area as in many cases, the victims are first identified when they require some form of medical attention. A child victim of trafficking is any person younger than 18 years against whom the act of trafficking has been committed. The definition of child trafficking differs from that of trafficking in humans in the respect that children are considered being vulnerable not only because of their level of maturity and age but also other factors. This article highlights the various legal aspects of child and human trafficking in India. The victim of trafficking may not himself disclose what he is going through, so there are certain points on history and examination which should arise the suspicion in the mind of the health professional. These signs and symptoms are mentioned in this article which are collected from various resources. Emergency medicine department has an important role in screening of these victims, although all the departments contribute in identifying the victims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Human trafficking is a critical public health issue particularly pervasive in the Indian states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh (UP), which share a border with Nepal. Many NGOs are participating in prevention, protection, prosecution, and capacity building initiatives. The aim of this study was to identify factors hindering and enhancing the efficacy of anti-trafficking programs in the region.Methods: A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews and focus groups with key stakeholders in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Nepal.Results: Thematic analysis revealed that the barriers hindering the anti-trafficking movement include police corruption, insufficient enforcement of national law, discrimination toward trafficking victims, inadequate funding, and lack of government involvement. Recommendations for overcoming these barriers were through empowering survivors and increasing cooperation, coordination, and communications between NGOs and the government.Conclusions: In mitigating these barriers and increasing survivor autonomy, anti-trafficking interventions have the opportunity to create individualized environments for those with an experience of trafficking to thrive. Ultimately, elevating community accountability, honoring individual autonomy, and recognizing the value of the persons with a lived experience of trafficking are critical as we continue to use a public health lens in the fight against human trafficking and for human rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discussion on the issue of human trafficking in 21st century is definitely quite shameful as the entire world is transformed into a small place due to globalization. Not only in India, but in almost all the countries of the world, this worst form of crime is still existing in some form or other. Through this paper the author has attempted to analyze the reasons for prevalence of this crime in India even after having concerted efforts by the successive governments to completely eradicate the evil through statutory enactments. Being the second largest populous country of the world and having been invaded by a number of foreign invaders, the country always suffered in its socio-economic growth. The demographic feature of the country is certainly another disadvantage that makes it quite difficult for the governmental schemes to reach the poor people living in the rear ends of the country. Another reason affecting the economy is the refugees coming into the country through its porous borders and making it their permanent shelter and expecting their shares from the limited resources available for the countrymen. It is, in fact, a matter of grave concern that even after having several enactments to deal with human trafficking, still the country is witnessing its prevalence in a larger scale. Prior to the enactment of the Indian Constitution, the Constitution makers too took it very seriously for which traffic in human beings or any forms of forced labour were inserted to be prohibited under Article 23. The judiciary has also taken stringent views to eradicate the crime of human trafficking through strict interpretation of the legislative provisions. But unfortunately it is not being eradicated till today, for which it becomes imperative for all to introspect the entire system responsible for prevalence of such crime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The majority of sex workers are mothers. Although participation in sex work is primarily driven by the prioritization of their children's needs over their own, mothers are stigmatized, subject to poorer health, and lack access to quality health care and social services. Interviews with 25 mothers in Mumbai, India, were analyzed using theory-driven coding to reexamine participation in sex work in context of Gilligan's three-stage ethic of care, a feminist theory of moral reasoning. Stage 1 (decision making focused on self) themes were (a) sex work served as a means to survival and (b) exploitative and unfulfilling relationships required a focus on self. The transition from Stage 1 to 2 theme was language of selfishness versus responsibility. Stage 2 (selflessness is goodness) themes characterizing the majority of narratives were (a) sex work is justified, (b) duty to prioritize care of others, and (c) self-sacrifice to achieve aspirations for children. The transition from Stage 2 to 3 had one theme: consideration of self. While Stage 3 represents women taking holistic care of themselves and others, the data did not reflect this. Reframing mothers' participation in sex work using the ethic of care framework may support destigmatization, decriminalization, and security of human rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Awareness-raising and pre-migration training are popular strategies to prevent human trafficking. Programmatic theories assume that when prospective migrants are equipped with information about risks, they will make more-informed choices, ultimately resulting in safe migration. In 2016, India was estimated to have 8 million people in modern slavery, including those who migrate internally for work. Work in Freedom (WiF) was a community-based trafficking prevention intervention. This study evaluated WiF's pre-migration knowledge-building activities for female migrants in Odisha to prevent future labour-related exploitation. Methods: Pre- and post- training questionnaires were administered to women (N = 347) who participated in a two-day pre-migration training session. Descriptive analysis and unadjusted analyses (paired t-tests, McNemar's tests, Wilcoxon signed ranks tests) examined differences in women's knowledge scores before and after training. Adjusted analyses used mixed effects models to explore whether receiving information on workers' rights or working away from home prior to the training was associated with changes in scores. Additionally, we used data from a household survey (N = 4,671) and survey of female migrants (N = 112) from a population sample in the same district to evaluate the intervention's rationale and implementation strategy. Results: Female participants were on average 37.3 years-old (SD 11) and most (67.9%) had no formal education. Only 11 participants (3.2%) had previous migration experience. Most participants (90.5%) had previously received information or advice on workers' rights or working away from home. Compared to female migrants in the population, training participants were different in age, caste and religion. Awareness about migration risks, rights and collective bargaining was very low initially and remained low post-training, e.g. of 13 possible migration risks, before the training, participants named an average of 1.2 risks, which increased only slightly to 2.1 risks after the training (T(346) = -11.64, p<0.001). Changes were modest for attitudes about safe and risky migration practices, earnings and savings. Before the training, only 34 women (10.4%) considered migrating, which reduced to 25 women (7.7%) post-training (X2 = 1.88, p = 0.169)—consistent with the low prevalence (7% of households) of female migration locally. Women's attitudes remained relatively fixed about the shame associated with paid domestic work. Survey data indicated focusing on domestic work did not correspond to regional migration trends, where women migrate primarily for construction or agriculture work. Conclusion: The apparent low effectiveness of the WiF short-duration migration training may be linked to the assumption that individual changes in knowledge will lead to shifts in social norms. The narrow focus on such individual-level interventions may overestimate an individual's agency. Findings indicate the importance of intervention development research to ensure activities are conducted in the right locations, target the right populations, and have relevant content. Absent intervention development research, this intervention suffered from operating in a site that had very few migrant women and a very small proportion migrating for domestic work—the focus of the training. To promote better development investments, interventions should be informed by local evidence and subjected to rigorous theory-based evaluation to ensure interventions achieve the most robust design to foster safe labour migration for women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Illegal trafficking of girls results from their disadvantageous position in society, often reflected by preference for sons and neglect of daughters. India has both higher levels of illegal trafficking of girls and abnormal child sex ratios in favor of boys. This paper examines if the skewed sex ratio in India is associated with trafficking of girls. Using panel data from twenty-nine Indian states from 1980 to 2011, the study finds that a 100-unit increase in the child sex ratio is associated with a 0.635 percent increase in girl trafficking. Further, the association is heterogeneous by women's empowerment, crime against women, and party rule in the state, and the association between the child sex ratio and trafficking of girls is stronger and larger in magnitude in states with greater women's empowerment. Overall, it appears the results are driven both by greater reporting and a greater incidence of illegal girl trafficking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a large child work force in India reported to be about 40 million. Child labor is being regarded as a form of modern slavery, as children are forced to work or have no choice to refuse work. Children are employed in a variety of occupations, many of which are hazardous. Exposure to machinery, pesticides, dust in agricultural work and fumes, chemicals, acids, cotton and wool fiber in other forms of work is detrimental to health. A large number are held in bonded servitude. In urban areas, children are employed as domestic helpers and engaged in eateries and auto-repair work. Trafficking and trading of children for work and sexual slavery are also major concerns. Poverty and illiteracy are root causes of child labor, but iniquitous societal attitudes are responsible for abuse and exploitation. Working children are deprived of proper health care and education, and lose their childhood and dignity. Several legal measures exist to prevent child labor and protect them from harm, but are thwarted by the distressing socioeconomic conditions. Although child labor would be difficult to abolish, exploitation can be prevented with concerted efforts of the government agencies, professional bodies and the civil society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social workers within police departments are not very common in India. However, social workers do work with the police under some laws, like human trafficking and child labour. The rescued in cases of human trafficking and child labour require counselling (emotional and legal), and they need postrescue rehabilitation, which requires the active participation of social workers. The author spent a year working on the issue of human trafficking between 2011 and 2012 with a non-government organisation. The work involved actively participating in the rescues of trafficked minors and their repatriation as well as training the lowest rungs of the police in how to handle cases of trafficking in Delhi, India. This article is based on the experiences that the author gained from working with the police. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of rescue and rehabilitation efforts for child sex trafficking survivors in India is reintegration into the child's family and community. However, survivors sometimes return voluntarily to sex work despite the "reintegration" process. This exploratory qualitative study attempts to examine the victims' perceptions regarding their return to home and aspirations for the future. In-depth interviews were conducted with 30 survivors rescued from red light establishments who were residing in a government shelter. Open coding was used to determine thematic content related to the intersection of trafficking, domestic violence, child maltreatment, and the implications for these regarding reintegration successes. The data suggest mandatory repatriation of rescued survivors is often not desirable, as many of the girls were not enthusiastic about their family reunification. The participants who were misled into trafficking through fraud were quite eager to go back to their families, while those who had fled their homes due to domestic violence and later found themselves in a trafficking situation were afraid to return. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues for the need to change the ways in which anti-human trafficking (AT) non-government organisations (NGOs) and their interventions in India frame and address violence in sex work. The article asserts that AT NGOs need to move beyond their ideological allegiances and infuse their interventions with a better understanding of the lived realities of women who are coerced into sex work. This argument is based on an analysis of women's pathways out of sex work in Eastern India, which include both finding independent routes, and also reliance on AT interventions. The research suggests that AT interventions need to acknowledge the centrality of social relationships in women's lives and experiences of violence. Social relations influence women's entry into sex work, affect their experiences within it, and shape their pathways out of sex work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores some episodes from the odoporeutic experience of Ippolito Desideri, SJ. These episodes are taken from the Relazione published by Luciano Petech in the Nuovo Ramusio edition, from which are taken all original citations. The chosen episodes concern the navigation in the Mediterranean toward Portugal, the crossing of the Gulf of Lion, life—and the various sanitary problems—on board the ships traveling to India and returning to Europe, the trafficking of African slaves, the Mascarene Islands, and the cull of land turtles and sea turtles. From all these episodes, we gain quite a few insights about Desideri: the strength of his faith; the originality of his logical inferences, which are grounded on empirical observation and are assessed against scientific knowledge; and finally, his reflections about ethical issues such as human trafficking and the hypocrisy of the secular clergy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the human rights organization, Kolkata Sanved, survivors of human trafficking used dance/movement therapy (DMT) based techniques to empower other survivors, fulfilling the dual role of survivor and provider. This transcendental phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of self-care for human trafficking survivors in Kolkata, India, working with other survivors. Semi-structured interviews were the primary mode of data collection. Artistic methods were included to engage participants in movement to further reflect on their experiences of self-care. To analyze the interviews, Moustakas' (Phenomenological research methods, SAGE Publications, Thousand Oaks, 1994) modification of the van Kaam method of analysis of phenomenological data was implemented. Findings revealed common self-care practices among the participants that contributed to their stability. Self-care practices minimized participants' re-traumatization when working with other survivors. This study further suggested the use of DMT and body-based practices for self-care within community-based organizations employing peer-provider models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Narratives of cultural stakeholders in marginalized sex worker spaces often do not find the traction to influence mainstream health discourse. Furthermore, such narratives are framed against the grain of the dominant cultural narrative; they are resistive texts, and they depict enactments of resistance to the normal order. This article, based on 12 weeks of field study in a sex worker community in India, foregrounds how sex workers communicatively frame and enact resistance, and hence formulate insurgent texts, along a continuum—from overt violence to covert negotiation on issues such as condom and alcohol use. Making note of these insurgent texts is crucial to understanding how meanings of health are locally made in a sex worker community as it is often that members of such marginalized communities take recourse to covert and ritualistic forms of resistance to work, to survive, and to stay free of HIV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human trafficking is a growing crime in South Asia, particularly as economies move post-globalization. This mixed-method study explored several variables fueled by gender biases that create women’s vulnerability to human trafficking. Qualitative results supported the quantitative data from the World Development Indicator’s report that describe gross gender biases practiced in various South Asian countries. The most important findings reveal the current practices of gender bias, prostitution, and trafficking that are not recorded in the existing literature. A multi-dimensional regional practice model is proposed that could support female empowerment and international efforts to curb human trafficking in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper investigates policy options for a successful fight against child sex tourism in a context of increased human mobility inherent to the global economy era. Using state and district-level data on child-related crimes in India we find that international policy coordination is necessary. Coordination involves a combination of policies aimed at providing a safer environment for children by removing them from the streets (supply-side policies) with those intended to deal with child-related offences (demand-side policies). One-standard deviation increase in coordination efforts reduces the illegal importation of minor girls by 1.24 standard deviation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lack of data on the economic value-added of sex trafficking is largely explained by the fact that trafficking for sexual exploitation is usually part of the non-observed economy. In fact, the very notion of economic “value-added” may seem inappropriate when applied to sex trafficking and is sometimes rejected by anti-prostitution groups. The legality or illegality of sex trafficking is irrelevant, as both legal and illegal production should be included in the systems of national accounts. By excluding illegal or underground activities, national accounts would simply exclude monetary transactions that actually take place and hence would provide a distorted picture of reality. In view of these facts, the basic structure of criminal organizations involved in cross-border trafficking business and principles of distributing the proceeds between the various levels in these organizations based on the empirical data obtained through the field survey in India and the UK was revealed. The survey comprised 124 respondents from India and the UK, using multi-stage stratified sampling technique. The study also showed the various investment practices, typical money-laundering schemes for proceeds generated from sex trafficking in India and the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article explores the shifting trends in prostitution law and policy in the postcolonial context of India. Indian law has since the 1950s criminalized several aspects of the commercialization of prostitution rather than the sale of sex for money per se. Of late however, following international trends around human trafficking and the relatively popular Swedish model, the Indian state has been keen to criminalize further the demand for sexual services. The competing prerogative of HIV prevention has however powerfully helped counter this trend towards increased criminalization. The Indian sex workers’ movement has also attempted to shift the policy terrain by reframing prostitution as a form of livelihood, in other words, sex work. While the counter-vailing logic of pandemic control has offered sex workers some respite, the article argues that Indian sex workers’ intertwined claims to both recognition and redistribution, to draw on Nancy Fraser, can only be realized by acknowledging the increasing disutility of the policy vocabulary around sex work and reassessing the materiality of law in all its forms, particularly its relationship to the political economy of sex markets. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The scale and extent of trafficking in people remain little explored in the Indian context. Trafficking in human beings, especially in women and children, has become a matter of serious concern in India. Bonded and sex labour comprise the vast majority of human trafficking in India, though child soldiering, forced begging and organ harvesting have also been identified. The accessibility of the trafficker to the prospective victim is an important factor in trafficking. The method adopted is usually influenced by the proximity or otherwise of the trafficker to the victim. Human trafficking poses enormous challenges to governance and law enforcement, and, at times, these challenges seem to be overwhelming. Even if it is something that is unlikely to be eliminated, however, more effective steps can be taken to contain or even reduce the scope of the problem by a concerted effort to raise the priority of combating human trafficking and by both exerting pressure on and enhancing capacity in a country such as India, which still lacks legal instruments and serious anti-trafficking activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses papers in the current issue of "Indian Journal of Social Work," with topics such as human trafficking in Serbia, attitudes of students in higher education in urban India towards spouse selection and oil subsidies.

This essay explores the issue of trafficking of women and children for sexual and commercial exploitation (CSE) with reference to India. The rising incidence of trafficking of women and children for CSE imposes a serious problem to both government and public agencies. The article analyses the situation of child and women trafficking in India by reviewing the content of law that is enacted against trafficking of women and children in the context of the policies enacted to both categories of vulnerable groups from such abuses. The researcher made use of existing documents and data from the government documents as well as from the civil society reports to provide a critical analysis to the legal situation of trafficking. The findings suggest that the ineffectiveness of India authorities in the area of combating trafficking of women and children for CSE is related to missing link in the policies formulated to combat the menace and as such, attention should be shifted to a holistic approach of tackling antihuman rights violations in which trafficking of women and children for CSE and other forms of trafficking will be embedded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing upon ethnographic work with a grassroots sex workers' organization in Calcutta, Durbar Samanwaya Samiti (Durbar), this article analyzes the relationship between subalternity and silence. I discuss how sex workers, especially new entrants, use silence as a subaltern strategy to resist state and non-state surveillance intended to oppose trafficking. The increased surveillance is a direct result of the global anti-trafficking narrative, led mainly by the United States, in which developing countries, like India, adopt measures to avoid being downgraded in the United States' Trafficking in Persons Report. I contend that these national and international efforts have led to a quandary where the lives of these sex workers are rendered inaudible. Here I specifically examine the practices of the Self-Regulatory Board, established by Durbar to identify new entrants who may have been unwilling trafficked and do not want to join the profession. I argue that the Board, in replicating state practices, in effect has created an environment where women prefer to embrace silence in order to confront its power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]