Guided by study findings, the conceptual model serves as a catalyst for future inquires or interventions to assist individual refugees and refugee communities post-migration. Extant research, interventions, and organizations serving refugees work toward the central goal of improving well-being, thus, the model places physical-mental well-being and psychosocial outcomes as the focal outcome of coping and adaptation processes during resettlement.

Objective To understand the context of the lives of children reared in India's red‐light brothel districts. Background Substantial empirical insight has emerged on the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC). Yet the extant literature on brothel‐based children (BBC), a uniquely vulnerable subset of at‐risk children, is paradoxically deficient. Understanding the developmental needs of BBC is critical to mitigating risk. Method In‐depth, semistructured interviews were conducted with 9 service providers and 30 women residing in 2 red‐light brothel districts of Mumbai. Phenomenological inquiry informed the research methodology and data analysis. Results Mothers' goals for children included survival, academic success, and future employment. Formal services were critical in meeting the basic needs of BBC, ensuring access to developmentally appropriate education, and maintaining safety overnight. Conclusion BBC are at considerable risk for an array of developmental challenges. Multisector service providers must work together and with the mothers of BBC to mitigate intergenerational sexual exploitation in the formal sex economy. Implications Results provide key areas for further research including longitudinal assessment of BBCs' educational and occupational outcomes, as well as incidence of complex trauma among BBC and treatment options. Service gaps include outreach to older male BBC as well as shame reduction intervention.

This investigation was intended, first, to examine the early life and childhood experiences of adult women working in the red-light districts of Mumbai, India. A corollary to this goal was determination of processes that led to entry into the commercial sex industry (CSI). Second, we sought better understanding of women's adult relationships with family of origin and key players of the brothel-based sex industry (e.g., peers, clients, brothel-keepers). Finally, we explored exiting options. In other words, to what extent is it possible to leave India's brothel-based sex industry if one wanted to do so? Guided by the life-course theory of development, in-depth interviews were conducted with 30 women working in two red-light districts of Mumbai, India. Most women described childhoods of extreme poverty, had been trafficked into the CSI, and reported minimal social support as adults. Exiting was challenged by multi-faceted cultural and structural constraints. Implications for continued research are provided.

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