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Motivation: Domestic abuse of women, despite being illegal, is common in India: on average, every 4.4 minutes a woman suffers abuse. During the pandemic, owing to curfew and lockdowns, women had additional caring responsibilities, but they lacked social support. A legal system made lethargic by lockdowns, lack of safety protocols for dealing with cases of domestic violence during the pandemic, extended delays in processing cases, and limited protection for victims—all combined to increase domestic violence nationwide. Purpose: What was the response of the Indian government to domestic violence during the COVID‐19 pandemic? We evaluate policies and interventions through the lens of intersectional feminism and social equity. Methods and approach: We review publicly available documents and scholarly journals published between 2018 and 2022. We identify the national anti‐domestic violence and state‐specific programmes offered to women in India. We critically evaluate the country's anti‐domestic violence campaign. The policy analysis draws on the cultural knowledge and professional expertise of the authors. Findings: The government's efforts to address domestic violence during the pandemic were limited. Pre‐existing vulnerabilities such as economic hardship, the gender‐based digital divide, and strict gender roles were exacerbated by the pandemic. Although the government tried to address domestic violence, through helplines, keeping shelters open and offering virtual court sessions, it also released convicted abusers from prison, increasing women's vulnerability. Government and non‐governmental organization interventions were not scaled up to meet demand. Many programmes had little oversight and quality control, resulting in differential results that often further victimized victims of domestic violence among vulnerable populations. Policy implications: Our findings highlight the importance of services and policies on domestic violence being explicit and sensitive to the culture and context in disaster preparedness and public health emergency planning. [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 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 article presents a case study of women who work as exotic dancers in the U.S. American, Mediterranean and South Asian bars. The socio-economic backgrounds and circumstances of the exotic dancers have influenced their choice in working in the sex industry. Differences in cultural implications of working in exotic dance bars were noted. Girls who worked in exotic dance bars were found to have been abused at their lives.