AAWC

Sex Trafficking

It is estimated that 5,000-10,000 women in the red light district (Greater Kamathipura Area) are engaged in street- and brothel-based prostitution. Some of the predominant causes for entry into prostitution are economic deprivation, religious tradition, and trafficking. For many women, especially those in rural areas, there is a dearth of income-generating opportunities that leads them to enter prostitution out of desperation. Family members often force women and girls into prostitution by selling them to a trafficker or pimp. Additionally, traffickers often lure young women into the city with the promise of employment or marriage, only to sell them into a brothel. There are also traditions such as the devadasi practice, in which women are dedicated or “married” to a temple or deity, forbidden from marrying “again”, and economically forced to engage in prostitution to earn a living. It is estimated that nine in ten women in brothel-based prostitution have been trafficked from within India or from neighboring countries, especially Nepal and Bangladesh. AAWC seeks to serve all women and girls living in the red light area, including transwomen and women who work in the brothels as maids or cooks.

Resources

Read Zero Traffick (download), a new report on sex trafficking in India published by Dasra (Nov 2013).